Do Good
by Tari Tinuviel
Summary: She was caught in the middle of something that was bigger and more dangerous than she ever thought, and despite the fact that she was moving from one place to another to stay safe - all she wanted to do was do good, and take down the people who hunted her and the rest of her family. Rating for Gore/Violence I guess light/eventual Steve/OC not sure yet.
1. Cipher Case pt 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

Sensitive topics might be spoken but only slightly and in the first chapter or so please keep any hurtful comments to yourself, other than that I ask you guys give this story a read and let me know what you think - I like constructive criticism and reviews... I love reviews...

Also, I would like to say that the story begins with an NCIS: LA cross-over, and certain NCIS: LA might be reoccurring characters but this is**not** a cross-over.

Anyways, I will stop my ranting short and get on with the story - The first three chapters are Original Chapters and I'm quite happy with them. So if you're still reading... enjoy!

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In the calm still of a suburb in California the peace was disturbed by the sound of the police calling out to each other as they taped off the area. The leader of the Crime Investigation Unit, Anthony Jameson, was there clutching a cup of coffee, he was a tall man with grey hair and equally grey eyes. His attention was drawn when a black SUV pulled up, and on the side there were yellow letters. MCCBI.

"These jokers again?" He grumbled.

Out of the car came a woman, she was at least 5'7", she wore a nicely tailored outfit and over it she wore a black vest emblazoned with her division's letters. What stood out the most about her was her Hijab. At her hip she had her badge and her side-arm was probably tucked under her vest.

"Ah, Inspector." She said smoothly.

"This is my crime scene." He said gruffly.

"We were contacted that the Vic is Muslim, this is our investigation now." She said as she looked at him. "I'm sorry, but you know how it goes."

He grumbled. The MCCBI stood for the Muslim Community of California Bureau of Investigation. A private investigative unit that was new to the area to insure that there was equality. In Anthony's opinion they didn't need one, but then someone from the MCCBI argued that crime is equal and not all Muslims are straight-forward. He had a strong aversion to it, but had to admit they did treat equally, if the suspect was Muslim they did not give preferential treatment and if the person was guilty they did everything they could to see that person tried accordingly. He supposed that was the good thing about them, but what annoyed him constantly was the fact they needed to use the CSI's intel more often than not, since they were new they did not have clearance to as much intel as they needed and often had to rely on them to find out where a suspect was, and simply to get background checks on them.

He supposed it could have been worse. The young woman who stood beside him was a Unit Leader, not much was known about her and he had his people do thorough checks on everyone in the MCCBI just to be sure, this girl Jumana 'Jo' Atif, they could trace her back to when she was about 18, but that was really it. Her team consisted of two men and two women, one of the men was crouching beside the body with Anthony's men and Anthony looked down at her as she put her hands in her pocket. "Who told you to come?" He asked.

"We were notified after you ID'ed the Vic." She replied. "Yunis Shakhshir."

"Know him?" Anthony asked as they walked towards the body.

"Probably, we had to contact your people to get to know who he is – 20 years old, 5 foot 8, Jordanian native, but has been living here since he was about six, he's a citizen – his dad is dead, his mother works at a dentist's office – three sisters, two brothers." She spoke it like she had memorized it all. "No previous offenses save for a ticket – he's a sophomore at UCI, studying Biology – engaged to a Mira Attalla…" She crouched down. "The kid's perfect."

"If he's perfect, why is he lying here?" He asked.

"That – is a good question." She said. She got up again and accepted a cup of coffee from someone.

"Does it have anything to do with the case you're working on?" He asked her.

"The Cipher case?" She asked. "I don't know – we'd have to examine him, the suspect's M.O is really sly." She huffed. They leaned against a car.

"M.O? How many bodies do you have lined up?" He asked her.

"This would make the tenth." She said. "Ten very unhappy families." She stuck out her bottom lip in thought. "Any thoughts?"

"What's the -?" He started.

Jo nodded. "They're lashed on their backs, and the alcohol level in their blood is obscenely high…" She sipped her coffee. "We think the Suspect does it on purpose – also there is another thing." She said as one of her team found a letter in the pocket of the vic. "He's leaving a paper trail, Tony." She looked at him.

"Paper trail?"

"Bread-crumbs – whatever." She took the letter; it was in an evidence bag. He leaned over to look at it. "This person – whoever the hell he is – is toying with us." She pointed at the paper. "You see this?" She pushed herself off the car. "This, my dear man, is a verse from the Quran – below it is a series of numbers –" The letter was typed down so finding the person who wrote them would be impossible. He saw a neat row of numbers; each number was a series of three numbers, double digits, sometimes single digits, and between each set of numbers there were dashes. "This is the reason why it is called the Cipher Case, Detective Jameson."

"What the hell is this?" He asked her.

"A Book Cipher." She said simply. "Each number corresponds with the line of the book it is in, the word, and the letter, we've not only been investigating in our department – Tony – we've also been forced to become cryptographers." She handed the letter to one of her team.

"Have you cracked the code?" Anthony asked earnestly – he didn't like the MCCBI, but working with Jo sure made things much more interesting.

"Not yet." She admitted. "I've been through every possible book – but it's just…" She shrugged.

"And the Quranic Verses?" He asked her.

"I have a sick feeling this guy is probably screwing around with us, dude." She said honestly. "I have two suspicions – one… He's one of us, but he's totally lost it… Or…" She hesitated.

"Or this is a Hate Crime." He said.

"And I absolutely hate using that term when it comes to cases," She said. "But yes, that is one of my suspicions."

Anthony was perplexed. Ten victims and they had no idea what they were up against. He looked at the tired woman who was standing beside him, he had been told that she was dedicated 110% to whatever case she took and she rarely ever slept. "I'm going to have to consult someone." She said finally.

"Who?"

"Remember that guy they were talking about a week ago?" She asked. "He's… some sort of savant?"

"The crazy guy from Santa Barbra?" He asked.

"He's not crazy," She said dryly. "He's just different, but I hear he's excellent with cracking codes."

"But what's the point if you don't have a book?" He asked her.

She shrugged and stared as they bagged the body. "I'm willing to try anything at this point, who knows – before long this guy will move on to other people – I don't want this to get out of my department or else you guys will be swamped." She huffed. "It's been two weeks, and ten deaths – I'm starting to feel like I'm not doing my job right."

"I can set up my team at your HQ." He said. "If it helps any, that way you can have all the intel you need." He nodded to his team.

"Are you sure? I know you don't like us all that much."

He chuckled. "Don't like the people you work for, Jo, you? I don't mind." He nodded to the EMT's before they drove off. "Plus I heard you are under-staffed."

"We are." She replied. "After the Coulter case…?" She frowned.

Marlon Coulter was a man who had been swindled and then stabbed to death by a one Rashad Shah. Personally Jo hated working on these cases; it made her sick to her stomach when she saw someone of her faith stray so badly, badly enough to actually kill someone. Sometimes they were simply Victims, but either way – since she accepted the job she had to learn to have a strong stomach, a stronger stomach than she was used to having. People were reluctant to work for the MCCBI, and she didn't really blame them, not only was the name a mouthful, sometimes it made her question just how questionable her work was, she was adamant with treating all suspects equally, Muslim or otherwise. Her boss, admittedly, was not too happy about that. He wanted her to find a way to prove that the Muslim Community was without fault.

She wasn't saying that it is, because she knew it was, but she was not saying that everyone was evil – just like not every white-man was. It was about stupid people who made bad judgments and took lives without any regard to the people around them, and she hated that. She felt that it was her duty as an American to insure that everyone was safe, regardless of their faith, nationality, or color. It was her humble little effort to prove that America was indeed a place for people of all faiths.

Even if the people within it didn't always display such a mindset. She thanked Anthony and then she climbed into her SUV, her team waved to her to get going saying they would follow her soon and she didn't doubt that. She had to hit the books and try to figure out the letters.

The drive to HQ was a long one, it took her forty five minutes just to pull up to the building, when she walked in she had to pass through metal detectors, behind the secretary in the lobby all sorts of flags stood behind her, from every country. The secretary smiled broadly. "Jo!"

"Annie." She greeted. Annie Jones was a young woman who was fresh out of college; she always smelled nice and always looked perfect. "Any mail for me?" She asked.

"On your desk." She replied. "Also there is someone here from Jameson's office," He face suddenly had a sly expression. "A Derek Anderson."

Jo scowled but pink touched her cheeks anyways. "What did I tell you about doing that?" She asked her.

"Do what?" Annie said innocently.

"Get cheeky when _he_ is here." Jo said.

"Hey, you're the one with the crush, not me." Annie said.

Jo let out an annoyed groan. "Yes, I can see it was a mistake telling you, next time I'll keep it to myself –" She reached over and patted the top of Annie's head who pouted indignantly. Jo removed her vest as she walked to the elevator and stepped inside; she hit the 7 and waited for it to glide up.

"Wait!" Someone cried out. "Hold the elevator!"

She quickly stuck herself in the door as it tried to close to see a very frazzled looking young man, he was skinny, with black frame glasses, hair that stuck out in every direction, and he had at least half a dozen silver cases with him. He wore a plaid shirt and worn out skinny jeans, under his shirt she could see a Superman T-Shirt. He ran in and set all his things down. "Phew, thank you – kind lady." He said and the doors shut.

"No problem." She said and hit the 7 again.

He squinted at the buttons as he pushed up his glasses and nodded. "Right where I'm going." He said. He then turned to her. "Oh right! I'm Jimmy, Jimmy Mason!" He stuck his hand in her face to shake hers.

She chuckled and awkwardly shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Jimmy Mason." She said.

"I'm looking for a Jo Atif?" He said nervously. "You see my boss sent me here – Anthony Jameson…? I'm supposed to meet up with my Co-Worker Derek –"

"I'm Jo." She said with a grin. "Again, nice to meet you – I'm guessing you're the one who's going to guide us through the internet?" She asked.

He chuckled at her joke. "Yes, that would be me." He said with a grin.

"Welcome aboard." She said as the doors opened. She grabbed some of his things and then led him into a semi-empty room; one side was occupied by a network of computers that was only half on. "You can set up in here, my unit is over there –" She pointed to a bullpen in the farthest corner. "And my own private office is just beyond it – if you need anything at all – we used to have Tech. but he left because his wife just had a baby." She gestured to the room. "Feel free to use whatever the hell you want."

"Thanks, I'll notify you when I'm all set up." He said.

She nodded. "I'll be in my office if you need anything." She said before she walked off. She walked into her office as she walked to it she looked around to see any sigh of that familiar face Annie had warned her about.

She frowned and walked in to her office, the sunlight filtered from her window so she didn't need to open the lights just yet as she made a beeline to her desk. She saw the letters on it and grabbed them. The first one was something from the IRS; she would have to get back to that later. She put it aside and saw her cell-phone bill, it was for her work phone and so far anything that was related to work was paid for by the MCCBI so she would have to give it in to the director.

"Feel like turning around?" A deep voice said from somewhere behind her.

She let out a surprised cry and turned around clutching her heart. "Geez – Derek – what the hell do you think you're doing?!" She yelled at him.

He was amused; his feet were crossed on the coffee table that was placed right in front of the couch in her office. "I thought you were more aware than that." He said.

"I need to put a freaking bell on your or something." She said as she threw a stress ball she kept on her desk at him.

He easily caught it before it could bounce off his tan face. Derek Anderson was a tall man who stood at least four inches taller than her, he had blond hair he slicked back and blue eyes that always glinted wickedly, his face was tan from his many hours spent in the sun and he wore his typical attire, some sort of band t-shirt, and cargos he tucked in to combat boots. "I bet you're happy to see me." He said slyly.

"I'm not, jerk." She lied as she turned back to her mail, her face felt like it was about to burn off. She was smooth when it came to crime scenes – and dealing with suspects – but when it came to dealing with men in a casual setting, the woman turned into a shy teen. She inwardly cursed her awkwardness and paused when her ball bounced off her head and landed in a half-full cup of tea, she quickly backed away before it splashed her.

"Nice." Derek said as he got up.

"Seriously, dude, what are you doing here?" She asked as she turned to look at him again now that her face didn't feel hot anymore.

"I'm working for Jameson, remember?" He said with a shrug. "I was asked to help you guys solve this Cipher case." He smirked at her. "I thought you'd be happy to see me again."

She had to mask a blush with a snort as she turned away. "Yeah right."

"Anyways, the rest of the team will be here soon." He said.

"I'll brief you all when they do get here." She said as she sat at her desk, she pulled out her stress ball and it dripped of the cold amber liquid. "You owe me a new one." She said.

"Get over your anxiety." He said simply.

"Why don't I claw at your face to accomplish that?" She said in a saccharine tone.

He chuckled. "But why would you damage something you like?" He asked slyly.

"You're right, would you mind taking a long walk off a short pier?" She asked. She then picked up her phone and dialed a number. She waited for a moment until a male voice answered.

"Yeah, Boss-Lady?" The voice said jovially.

"Ayman," She said. "I need you to go to Santa Barbra."

"Santa Barbra?" Derek said.

Ayman echoed the question. She let out a sigh. "Yes, I need you to find Arnold Hanson." She said.

"The Idiot Savant?" Derek said.

She glared at him. "You don't call them Idiot Savants – they are Savants." She replied.

"Who's with you, boss?" Ayman asked slyly.

"None of your business." She snapped. "Just get me Hanson."

"Address?" He asked.

She typed on her laptop quickly and then she paused. "I'll send you the address in –" She hit the enter button. "Okay, you should have them by now, if Hanson doesn't feel like joining you tell him we have a real nice puzzle for him to solve, he'll eat that up." She said.

"Got it." Ayman said before she hung up.

"Why do you need the Savant, Joey?" Derek asked.

She got up and tossed the ball in the trash. "You will see soon." She said.

Jimmy burst in. "Jo, I've set up – uh… Derek, hi…"

"Hey, Jimbo." He said as he ruffled the young man's hair.

Jimmy obviously didn't like that and he cast a look at Jo who looked amused. "Leave him alone, Derek." She said evenly. "So you're all set, Jimmy?" She asked.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Whenever you guys need me…" He pointed out the door and nodded. "I'm all set."

She grinned. "Thanks." He nodded again and left. She chuckled. "He's cute."

"_Cute_?" Derek said. "He's a nerd."

"Knowledge is attractive." She retorted.

He sat down again and put his feet up as he grabbed an apple from the bowl she had on the table. "Right," He said as he bit into it. "I forgot you were a nerd too."

"I prefer the term… Intellectual." She replied.

About half an hour later her team arrived, Nadia Faisal was a tall blonde who could really pack a punch, while Aisha Khan was a cute little short woman who wore Hijab like Jo, at 5'5" she was the gentlest person in the unit, but also had the ability to be scary. They were followed by Tariq Andrews, a recent convert who had previously been a cop and as recruited to help them for his expertise. She walked out and Derek followed closely, Nadia, Aisha, and Tariq instantly recognized him and they all had smirks on their faces.

"Shut up." She said as she pointed at them. "Anything new?" She asked.

"No, the rest of Jameson's crew should be here soon, and Yunis is downstairs with Maria." Maria Fuentes was their Medical Examiner, she was the best of the best, and while Jo loved hanging around her, the woman sometimes scared her… she found too much joy in her job, and she often talked to the corpses – Jo suspected she enjoyed the company of the dead more than the living.

"What about what evidence we have?" She asked.

"Laila is analyzing them." Aisha said.

Laila Murad was their Forensic Analyst; she was an insanely strict woman who disliked it when people messed up her lab. "Okay, great – what news on Hanson?"

"Ayman is bringing him in." Tariq said as he sat down at his desk and began to type away. "Also we were told to let you know that the rest of Jameson's team is on their way up." He said without looking up.

"Okay." She said with a nod, when she turned she bumped into Derek who had been standing too close, she could hear her team snort to keep from laughin, Derek chuckled as she stepped around him and went into her office.

About five minutes later a red-head by the name of Andrea Johnson, and a man with black hair by the name of Drew Landon had joined them. All that was left was for them to wait for Andrew Hanson so that they could get to work.


	2. Cipher Case pt 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or the places mentioned, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

* * *

At 4 P.M everyone who had to be there was, both from CSI and from MCCBI and they all sat in a conference room as they watched the woman that stood with her hands lightly touching the desk, behind her there was a board with ten faces on them. "Ten victims in the past two weeks," She said. "None of them are related to each other in any way – two of them are from the San Diego region, three from Orange County and the rest are from all around Southern California." She pointed to the board. "Two of them are twenty, three of them are twenty five, two are in their thirties, and three in their forties to fifties. None of them knew each other – as far as we know… none of them had ties to each other – none of them even knew they existed." She looked around at the group, Andrew Hanson sat at the table as well, he was a handsome young man of 18 with bright eyes and he looked well groomed, while he looked nice, he had so far managed to insult at least three of the people sitting there.

Smart people aren't always nice people, she deduced.

"Witnesses have given us a number of suspects – but I have reason to believe that this is all done by one man." She frowned. "We are trying our hardest to figure out what this man wants – and why he's so blatantly using out religion to get back at us – the victims were all tortured, lashes to the back, signs of an adhesive on their mouths, ankles, and wrists suggest he may have used duct-tape or some sort of industrial grade tape, and they all showed a high level of alcohol in their blood… Toxicology reports show a very lethal dose of whatever drink they had… after a close examination Maria was able to find out that they were forced to drink it, some suffered asphyxiation… and we were able to pump the stomach of one of the victims and Laila was able to identify the alcohols…" She frowned. "There were several in use: Whiskey… Tequila… Vodka… you name it – it's probably there."

"Why the hell would someone do that?" Andrea asked.

"We can't drink Alcohol," Tariq said. "We think that this guy is probably taunting us…"

"Lashings?" Jimmy said, he sounded a bit jittery.

Jo let out a sigh as she rubbed at her temples. "As an extreme form of discipline for Adultery… they say that lashings were ordered as a punishment…" They looked skeptic. "But that was only in very extreme cases, and was rarely used, I haven't heard of a single story where anyone was actually lashed – it was like… a precautionary guideline in the religion to insure people wouldn't go astray."

"Did it work?" Drew asked.

"Well, like I said, I have never heard of anyone getting lashed – so yeah, it probably did." She was treading this topic very delicately. It was a very touchy subject, this she knew. "And like I said, it was only used in the most extreme of situations…" She drew in a sharp breath. "I think that this Killer is probably using that…"

They all stared at her silently. "Andrew?" She turned to the boy. "With each victim – a letter has been left… with each letter – there has been a Cipher…"

The boy was suddenly not smiling; he looked serious when he realized that he was important in this case. "Can I see them?" He asked.

"We can't give you the letters, but we've copied down the Ciphers as they are on each individual paper –" She handed him the stack of papers. "Here you go."

He took them and sifted through them with a frown. "No key?" He asked.

"Not yet." Jo admitted. "We were hoping you'd… figure it out… can you do it?" She asked.

He looked at her and nodded before he got up and left the room.

"Okay, the rest of you –" She said. "I need to figure out why they are connected." She said. "I know we've been at this for two weeks now, but with the CSI gang here now – I think we can dig deeper – leave no stone unturned – I want to know everything – their bank accounts – if they've donated to charities – If their workplaces are connected."

They nodded. Derek and Nadia remained seated as the others left. "I need you guys to go check out these people." She said as she held out a list. "Take Tariq with you, and Drew – this is a list of contacts we were able to pull from Yunis' cell-phone. I need to keep working with Andrew." She said.

They nodded, grabbed the list, and then walked off. She looked down at the boy, "Come on Hanson." She said with a sigh.

The boy got up and followed her into her office. For the rest of the day they worked on the ciphers, trying to see if they could figure it out.

It was almost 2 A.M. when Derek walked into the office, he paused when he heard snoring, on her desk Jo was sleeping with her head on her arms, she was drooling onto her hand, and Andrew was curled up under the table hugging the bowl of fruit… he too was fast asleep. 'What the hell?' He thought. He pulled a blanket and went to place it on Jo's shoulders; she sat up with a snort.

"I'm not asleep." She said suddenly.

"Sorry to tell ya, babe, but you were." He said. "Hanson is asleep under the table with your bowl of fruit." He added.

"He thought he would get better ideas under there – I think he was eating an apple…" She wiped the drool off her face before she ran her hands over her face. "God, I can't even remember the last time I had some decent sleep." She got up and kicked her high-heels off, with them she was as tall as him, now they were off she was at her own height. "My feet hurt… God." She stretched and he could hear her spine pop. "Is anyone else here?"

"They got back a while ago." He said. "Nadia's crashed in the lounge; I think Aisha's curled up under her desk while Drew and Tariq are raiding the Cafeteria downstairs." He followed her as she walked barefoot.

"When did you get in?" She asked.

"I just got back from L.A." He said. "Traffic was terrible."

"I don't blame you –" She walked into the small kitchen so she could make herself some coffee. "Want some?" She asked.

"Nah… just terrorized a Barista at Starbucks." He said as he leaned against the counter to watch her.

"That's nice to know." She said as she yawned. "God."

"When was the last time you slept?" He asked.

"I got a nap in… 30 hours ago." She said. "You think I like sleeping when I have a case? I can't sleep… it keeps me up thinking – I forgot what my apartment looks like." She sneezed when she upset some dust on the microwave. He didn't say anything. She chuckled. "Do you know they had me talk to a Shrink?" She asked. "Director Abdul Qader says he's worried I'd be a hazard to the team."

"What?" He said.

She shrugged. "Apparently he thinks my little quirks are something mental." She said as she stirred the coffee.

"They are mental." He said. "You have chronic Anxiety… and selective OCD."

She pointed at him. "Not my fault and you know it." She said as she tossed the plastic spoon into the trash as she sipped at her coffee.

He nodded and sat on the counter. "What did you tell the Shrink?"

"To get out of my head, he told me to get more sleep… I just can't." She frowned as she stared at her feet.

"It must be hell in your head." He said.

"Oh believe me… it is." She said with a chuckle. She felt her phone vibrate so she pulled it out. "Atif." She said curtly. She nodded. "Got it… Wait – what? Why would NCIS have anything to do with it –" She paused as her jaw dropped open. "Oh… Okay – we're on our way." She hung up and downed her scalding coffee all at once.

"What is it?" Derek asked.

"Another murder that fits our guy's M.O." She replied.

"What's this about NCIS?" He asked as he hopped down.

"Victim's a Marine." She said as she walked out of the kitchen, he was hot on her take. "Wake Nadia up, and call for Drew – we're headed to the old Long Beach Shipyard."

"What the hell?" Derek said as she walked into her office.

Jo pulled out her boots from under her desk as she shoved her feet into them and tucked her trouser-pant legs into them before she grabbed her MCCBI vest, side arm, badge, and phone. They all met downstairs at her SUV, they climbed in and she was grumbling under her breath using colorful words he companions didn't know she allowed herself to use.

"Calm down." Derek said.

"I'm not going to calm down." She said. "This is exactly what I wanted to avoid, now NCIS is going to be all over our case…"

"Hey, didn't you work with them on a case before?" Nadia asked as she pulled her hair up in a bun.

"Yeah, hostage situation, my first case – I was undercover… Suspect was a Marine gone rogue." She sped up and her companions all feared for their lives as she turned a sharp turn, she was not only tired – she was also livid.

"I thought you liked working with them." Nadia said.

"Not when I should be sleeping." She muttered. Derek chuckled and gripped the edge of his seat tightly.

"Want to slow down, babe?" He asked her.

"No I do not." She said and then gritted her teeth as she forced out: "Babe."

They didn't know if they should be amused or terrified as she all but flew down the streets to get to Long Beach.

The Shipyard had been officially shut down in 1997 and to Jo's knowledge it was out of commission. NCIS had called from within the shipyard – at least that's what she had been told. What was a Marine doing in an out-of-use Shipyard? Had the killer taken him there? Had he been there with all of the Victims? Or was he doing this just to show them he could do whatever the hell he wanted?

They all shakily got out of the car when she finally stopped, she could see her car wasn't the only SUV there, lights had been set up and there was a chill in the air. She saw familiar faces waiting for her. "Jo!"

She walked over purposely. "Sam." She greeted the NCIS Special Agent; she could see his partner G. Callen in the background and someone else from their team.

"Sorry if we woke you." He said.

"I actually had to gulp down my Coffee." She said as she put her hands in her pockets. "What do we have here –"

"Hey, Jo."

"G." She said simply with a nod.

"Chief Warrant Officer Mason Hadad." Sam said as they walked towards the body. "He was found here by the night watch… and he called us right away."

"English first name, Arabic last name…" She mused silently. "He's probably not even Muslim, why'd you call us?" She looked at Sam and G.

"We did a quick check – he's got lashes on his back – and reeks of Alcohol." Sam replied. "Fits the M.O of your guy."

"If we only knew who our guy was." She said. "Does that mean NCIS is now involved?" She asked as she looked up at them.

"Probably – what are you doing?" Callen asked as she crouched down beside the body and pulled on latex gloves.

"The only way to be sure if this guy is like out other Vics…" She opened his jacket and then frowned before she lightly patted the corpse down. She paused when she heard something crinkle. She pulled out a note. "Nadia?" She called out.

The tall blonde was instantly at her side with an evidence bag. "Another one of those letters?" Derek asked.

"Certainly looks like it is." She said. She paused when she pulled out a book that was the size of her hand. She held it up and looked at the others. "I think this might be the key…"

"The key?" Sam asked curiously.

"You see, we've been getting sets of ciphers –" She showed them the latest letter, she pointed to the bottom. "A Book Cipher… needs a book – a key… and so far it has been eluding us – I can take this back to Andrew to get cracking."

"What about Hadad?" Callen asked.

"You guys turned him over to us." She said. "We'll take him to our M.E, have her look him over to see if he does fit out case – judging by this… he does – hopefully we'll find this guy." She held out her hand to no one in particular and Sam grasped it as he helped her up. She removed her gloves and then she nodded to the EMT's. "Does that mean we have to accommodate you guys too?" She asked.

Sam could tell that she was over-worked and tired. "We heard you're understaffed." He said.

"We've got a team of CSI's with us." She jabbed her thumb over her shoulder to Derek and Drew.

"Well, they don't have the man-power we do." Sam said.

She let out a weary sigh and nodded. "Fine, let's just process the scene before we get into the invasion of our department." She said.

It was almost six in the morning when they got back to the MCCBI building. Jo tiredly walked into her office and saw Andrew was still curled up under her table, she knocked on the glass and the boy jolted awake. "Miss Jo." He said.

"Up you get, Andy-Boy." She said as she grabbed the fruit-bowl from him. "We've got work to do."

He groggily sat up and she handed him a mug of coffee. He eyed her. "You look terrible." He said.

"Yeah? The only sleep I got was a drooley nap that was about half-an-hour long… You comfy there with my fruit bowl?"

"Certainly not my teddy-bear." He said with a smirk as he sipped his coffee.

"Well, we found the key – I hope." She produced the book from an evidence bag. "Think you could get crackin'?"

"With an empty stomach?" He said.

"How about this, you get working, and I'll make a run to Dunkin' Donuts, and get a whole box-full just for you?" She asked.

He considered this for a moment and then nodded. "Seems fair." He said.

She nodded and put her side-arm in the desk with her badge before she walked out; Aisha appeared looking well rested and guilty. "Sorry boss." She said.

"It's fine – NCIS is going to swing by and set up." She said in response. "And I'm about to make a donut run, who wants what?" She asked.

They all yelled out what she wanted as she walked out of the Bullpen to the Elevator. She stepped in and leaned tiredly against the wall as she hit the button for the lobby. When the doors slid open at the Lobby she saw Sam. "Morning." He greeted.

"Wish it were still night." She replied. "I'm off to get donuts to bribe a Savant to work, want anything?" She asked as she pushed herself off the wall.

"I'll join you." He said.

"Whatever floats your boat, dude." She said. She waved to Callen who carried things with several other people into the Elevator.

The pair walked down the street and to the donut shop. "Any news on Hadad?" He asked as she began to pick out the donuts.

"Not yet." She said. "I only got back about oh –" She looked down at her watch with a sigh. "Half an hour ago." She said. When he saw she went back to picking he honestly thought she was just picking at random, before long she had four boxes full of donuts. She handed the guy money, she went to grab them but Sam got them for her. She thanked him and they walked back to the building.

"Why so many donuts?" He asked.

"Two of our guys are bottomless pits." She said. "Before you called they were raiding the cafeteria – and the Savant won't work unless he's eaten."

"Let me guess, Andrew Hanson?" He asked.

"You know him?" She asked.

"We had to use him a year or so back – the boy is brilliant… Tactless… but brilliant." He said.

She nodded in agreement. "We brought him in yesterday – he is brilliant." She hit the button as they walked up to the elevator. "So, what about you guys? What do you have?" She asked. "You know that our resources are very limited – so we haven't been really able to…" She trailed off as they stepped in to the elevator.

"We know, that's why when we saw that your latest Vic is one of our guys – we have to step in before this get's really bad." He replied as she began to un-stack the boxes. When they walked out onto the 7th floor she placed a box in the Bullpen, and then she went to Jimmy and put one with him, one of Callen's and Sam's team was setting up. "Enjoy, boys." She said before she placed a box in the kitchen and opened it, she grabbed a white-sprinkle donut and bit it before she grabbed the last box from Sam as the donut dangled in her mouth, she walked to her office with Callen and Sam following closely, Andrew was hard at work, he looked up with a grin when he saw the box, she placed it on the table and then she sat down as she grabbed her donut. "So? What do we have – Boy-Genius?" She asked.

He was about to say something until Tariq poked his head in. "Maria wants to see you boss." He said. "She's done with the body."

"Okay – sorry Andy, I'll be right back. But you can tell Special Agent Hanna here what you have and he'll tell me everything." She said. She got up and went to the kitchen to grab a couple of donuts. "Aisha, with me." She said.

The petite woman nodded and followed her as they stepped into the elevator. "So many people." She commented.

"Yeah, well this could get bigger if we don't stop it soon." Jo replied.

"How many hours?" Aisha asked her suddenly.

"Minus that half hour? I'm not sure – I stopped counting after 5 A.M." She said honestly as they stepped out into the basement. A glass wall separated the hallway from the Forensics lab, Laila waved at them from her desk, they waved back and Jo walked in."Here you go Lai." She said as she gave her half of the donuts.

"Thank you, now get out before you leave crumbs." She said.

"Yes Ma'am." Jo said before joining Aisha again. They walked to the end of the hallway and passed double doors into their morgue. Maria sat on her desk sipping some tea out of a bone-china tea-cup. "Good morning, Maria." She said.

"Good morning." The Latina doctor greeted them as she placed her tea-cup down.

"I come bearing breakfast." She said as she placed the donuts on the desk beside the tea.

"Thank you! And you come while I bear news." She said. "Your Marine definitely fits in with out case – however… he didn't die from Alcohol poisoning." She grinned.

"What?"

"This guy – he's used to getting really drunk." She pointed at him. "I found some liver damage, for someone his age – he definitely 'Drinks like a Sailor', so to speak." She lifted the white cloth gently. "No, this guy was killed with a stab to the head." She lifted his head to show them a gash.

"But there wasn't any blood." Aisha said.

"Whoever did this wanted to make sure that it fit the M.O, remember, you found him wearing a hat…" She pointed to her own head. "See this -?" She pointed to the gash. "I found traces of dirt in it, his clothes was covered in sand, well, you did find him in a Shipyard – sent it to Laila to get it checked… also –" She pulled out a small container. "Salt."

"… Salt?" Aisha said.

Jo grabbed the container. "… He probably killed him by the water."

"He was in a ship-yard." Maria said. "I wouldn't be surprised if he used ocean water to clean the wound."

"No prints?" Jo said.

Maria shook her head. "I'll tell you what I've been telling you this whole time… whoever the hell this is – knows how we work. This is the most evidence I've ever pulled off a Vic." She said. "Also, there wasn't adhesive on him."

Jo processed this and let out a hiss. "Son of a b-" She stopped herself.

"What?" Aisha said.

Jo looked down at her. "He knew the Killer." She said quietly. "No adhesive – he wasn't bound and gagged – this wasn't a kidnapping – this guy – he knew the killer –"

She picked up her cell-phone and she hit a button. "Boss?" Nadia's voice said.

"I know I've had you up a long time," Jo said. "But I need you to head back to the shipyard – check the beach – look for anything that might suggest that someone had been drinking there – possibly if the sand has been disturbed."

"Boss – the winds –"

"I know." She said. "But this Vic didn't have adhesive on his mouth and limbs like the others suggesting –"

"He knew the killer." Nadia said quietly.

"Yes, and his liver had extensive damage…"

"Boy is a drinker." She said.

"Exactly, he was killed with a stab wound to his head." She bit the inside of her cheek.

"Should I take Derek?" She asked.

"No, take Callen." She said quickly, not really knowing why she didn't want Nadia to accompany Derek, he was a capable investigator; she had the feeling that they would be needing him before long. "I'm going to go talk to Laila; you head out now before it's too late."

"Got it." Nadia said before she hung-up and shoved her phone in her pocket. "Did you send his blood-work to get a Tox report?" She asked Maria.

"Of course I did." She said. "Laila's got it."

"Okay – I need to go talk to Laila." She said. "Thank you so much Maria."

"I have the feeling that we're close to catching this guy." Maria said.

"God, I hope so." Jo replied before she marched off with Aisha. They walked into the lab again and Laila greeted them as she pulled out a paper from the scanner.

"Boy was drinking a lot of whiskey." She said. "Sand is from that area – so he wasn't too far from where he was killed."

"Okay, thanks –"

Her phone rang, she answered it. "Atif."

"Jo, you need to get up here." Sam said. "Andrew's cracked the code – you are not going to like it."

"Tell me –"

"You need to see it yourself." He said.

She nodded and hung-up before she left Aisha and Laila. When she walked off the elevator in to the 7th floor she made a beeline for her office. When she walked in Sam looked perplexed as he held out a note-pad. Andrew looked perplexed too, even as he munched on an éclair.

"What is it?" She said.

Sam held out the notepad to her and she grabbed it. When she read it her face paled. It simply said; 'Jumana Atif, you are next.'

She sat down. "Is this some sort of sick game?" She said. "That's all he has to say?"

"It was hard to put together because they weren't in order…" Andrew said.

Jo stared at the notepad, and then up at Sam who was frowning. "We've got to get this guy."

"What did you get on Hadad?" He asked.

She told him what she found out in the morgue with Maria, he frowned when she finished talking. "He knew him?"

"I was thinking that maybe you could see what we know about him – if he was on leave -?" She asked Sam.

He got up and nodded. "Follow me." He said. She got up and walked after him as they went to see Jimmy and Eric Beale, the analyst who came with Sam and Callen. She paused when she saw he was wearing khaki shorts and flip-flops, she looked at Sam questioningly; he just shook his head at her.

"We need info on Chief Warrant Officer Mason Hadad." Sam said.

Derek popped his head in to the room. "Joey, we need to head off – Nadia and Callen just called, they need us in Long Beach."

"Okay." She nodded. "Sam, you stay here – if you find anything interesting call me, keep me updated." She said as she went to grab her gun and badge before she left with Derek, they got into his car a grey Mercedes, she felt agitated and she partially blamed it on her lack of sleep, when this was done she was going to go home, disconnect the phone, shut her cell-phone off, and sleep for a week non-stop. She looked down at herself and thought how much weight she had lost since she took on this job, she wasn't exactly fat before, but she had never been this skinny. She supposed it came with the job, especially when she ran more often than not, forgot to eat, and stressed more than she probably needed to… But if she didn't worry about the case, who would?

She forced herself to focus as she was tired; she jumped when her phone rang. Derek chuckled at her reaction as she gripped her phone to her ear. "Atif." She said.

"Jo, you need to hear this, am I on speaker?" Sam asked.

"No, should you be?" She asked.

"No." He said seriously. His tone almost frightened her. "Don't let Derek know what we're talking about, okay?"

"Sure, yeah, my favorites are the white with sprinkles… thanks for noticing." She said with a grin, deep down she was worried.

"Hadad was on leave from the USS Vandegrift, we went through the people he called in the past 24 four hours and one person's name stuck out the most… Derek Anderson."

"So do you think the éclair's are better?" She questioned.

"I think you need to get away from him as fast as you possibly can… don't let him know you're on to him… but as of now he is out prime suspect." Sam said.

"Oh, that's great; would you like me to get you anything when we drive back?" She paused. "I mean; anything that goes great with Éclairs?"

"They've been good friends since they were in school." He said. "Hadad is a Lebanese Maronite-Christian , just like the rest of your victims he is first generation, his parents from Beirut, Lebanon, he was born in Maine but moved to California when he was eight, and he was in the same school your boy Derek was in, his parents were a part of the Diaspora."

"Okay, I'll see what I can do about that." She said brightly.

"Don't do anything stupid, Jo. We're tracing your call, you're not headed to Long Beach, if you can – keep this call going but don't let him know your phone is on, as of now we're trying to avoid a hostage situation." Sam said quickly.

"Okay, thanks, yeah – no problem… I'll talk to you later, Andy-Boy." She then pretended to hang up her phone and she slipped it into her pocket.

"Andrew?" He asked.

"Yep, the boy has a weird thing for food." She said with a shrug. "Donuts in particular –" She paused. "Long Beach is…" She trailed off.

"We're taking a short-cut." He said as he glanced about.

"Oh." She said.

He was silent for a long time, she could hear sirens in the distance and she inwardly cursed. His eyes were blazing. "That wasn't Andrew, was it?" He asked.

"It was Andrew, why would I lie?" She asked innocently.

"You know, I know you majored in Drama." He said. "Do-don't – give me your phone."

"What?"

"I said… give me your phone!" He yelled at her.

"NO!" She said as he reached for her pocket, but even with him driving he was stronger than her, he was able to pull out the phone and fling it out the window.

"It was you, this whole time." She said quietly. "You're the guy –"

"Of course I'm the guy!" He yelled.

She was about to say something but he punched her in the side of her head and everything went dark.


	3. Cipher Case pt 3: Hostage

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or the places mentioned, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

* * *

When she woke up she saw her hands were cuffed to some sort of pipe above her head, and there was duct-tape on her mouth, there was a throbbing in her head and she couldn't feel her side-arm. When her eyes focused she saw Derek sitting on a chair staring at her. She suddenly felt sick; this was a guy she actually had a _thing_ for.

'Boy don't you know how to pick 'em.' Jo thought dryly. She saw he had a whip at his side, she suddenly felt terrified.

"You know," Derek said. "I am going to get paid so well when I hand you in." He got up and walked to her. "You didn't think I knew who you are… did I? Jumana Abdel Fattah."

Terror seized her heart once more. 'How did he know?!' She thought as she shuffled to get away from him.

"Want to guess who wants to pay me for you?" He asked with a smirk. Her eyebrows dipped as he grabbed her face. Her nose flared as she tried to keep her tears at bay. "Shh, shh…" He said gently. "Your cousin will be very happy to see you… Such a pity…" He said. "I really did like you –"

Despite the pounding in her head she smashed her head forward into his as hard as she could, she then kicked his feet out from under him, sending him flying to the ground, his reaction was instantaneous; he got up, grabbed the whip, and hit her across the chest. She would have shrieked out in pain if it weren't for the tape on her mouth.

She glared at him as he ran a hand through his hair and looked at her like he was a rabid dog, there was some blood on his forehead, her hit had caused both of them pain and she was starting to lose her vision, she had heard a crack when she hit him and the splitting pain in her forehead that didn't distract her from the pain across her torso told her she had probably caused herself a concussion. She hoped he was suffering too. She suddenly felt like her body felt heavy. He tore the tape off her mouth and the let out a cry as it tore at her lips. "W-What do you want from me?!" She tried to cry out.

He grabbed her face again. "I was told not to kill you – but if you try anything funny – anything – and I will! And to hell with the fifty grand!" He yelled at her before slapping her across the face. He then left her alone.

She forced herself to focus, she was starting to feel the effects of her concussion and she was finding it hard to focus, she looked up at the pipe she was locked to and forced herself to get up. She saw the pipe ran along the wall so she decided to follow it.

Back at MCCBI they were rushing about. Sam was watching Eric and Jimmy type furiously. "What happened?" Callen said as he ran in.

"We lost contact with her," Sam said as he stared at the monitor. "Had the police following her – they found her phone on the highway – Derek has her."

Nadia let out a curse. "How long has she been gone?" She asked angrily.

"This makes the second hour." Aisha said. "We lost them off the Freeway."

"Try to find his car." Nadia said.

Callen eyed them evenly. "Is there something we should know about Jo that you haven't told us?" He saw that even his partner looked uncomfortable. What was everyone withholding?

Nadia hesitated as she looked at him. "Ever… hear of the Badir Drug Cartel?" She said hesitantly.

Callen nodded. "A drug cartel based in Miami, they've been giving the government a hard time –"

"Run by Arabs, and they ship methamphetamines and Cocaine into the Middle East." Sam said. "Jo's family… might be involved with them… for her safety Jo was told to change her name… and she's been working here since, but she has been relocated a couple of times before."

"Is this what this is? Witness protection?" Callen sounded annoyed.

"No," Nadia said. "This is someone who is trying to do good despite some of her family members." She looked at the screen. "We pulled Derek's phone lists and he's made several calls to a disposable phone number, the number is based in Miami… we think he's been hired by the Cartel to get to her."

"This has turned into something bigger…" Sam said.

"Does that mean Jo's going to have to be relocated again?" Aisha asked quietly.

Sam nodded. "She's going to have to be relocated." He confirmed. "Maybe this time we'll put her somewhere nice."

"We have to find her now." Tariq said as he stood in the back of the room.

"Guys, we found the car." Eric said.

They all went to the screen. "Where is it?"

He frowned. "Some sort of building out of city limits." He said. He sent them all the coordinates before they rushed off, all glancing at their phones to see the coordinates.

Jo had found the end of the pipe; it turned and made a corner into the wall. Her head was a bit clearer now but it was still a bit hard to focus. Derek had returned twice so far and noticed when she moved, her back was now stinging and crusted with blood, she wondered if he was going to force her to drink yet. She yanked at the pipe and it didn't give, she wondered if she yanked hard enough if it would give way and she could get out of there.

"I TOLD YOU TO SIT!" Derek's angry voice yelled as he grabbed her from the back of her Hijab, making sure to get from her hair as he dragged her back to her spot again, he then lashed at her again, with each hit white hot pain coursed through her body. He yanked her head back so she could stare at him angrily. He stared down at her harshly.

"You won't get away with this." She said, her voice was strained because of the angle he had her head back. "I swear to God you won't get away with this."

"Why don't you pray to your God," He sneered. "See if he gets you out of here." He slapped her when she spat in his face. He stepped back and composed himself. "You're in luck," He said coolly. "I've contacted Badir and they'll be here soon to collect you – I hear they miss you a lot."

She was past being terrified at this point, so she tried to calmly stare back at him, at some point she had lost vision in her left eye – which was her stronger eye, so it only made her headache worse to be looking at everything out of her right eye. She watched as he left again. She forced herself to get up again despite the fact she no longer felt like she had the strength to do anything, her head, back, and cheek were all throbbing.

She leaned against the pipe and wall as she continued her path along it to go back to the turn of the pipe into the wall.

The team was speeding down the street until they ended up at a solitary building. "Well, if this isn't stereotypical – I don't know what is." Nadia said as they all circled the building.

"Here's what we'll do." Sam said. "G and I will sneak in –" He pointed to the fire-escape on the side. "And we'll take out everyone who comes in our path… when the building is clear –"

"How do you know how many men are in there?" Nadia demanded. "Hell, she might not be in there – the car is there – doesn't mean she is."

They all fell silent and nodded. "She has a point." Drew said.

"So what now?" Sam asked.

"Send someone in… as Badir people." Nadia said. "Usually, that would be Jo's job, she the specialist at going Under Cover… but now –"

"I'll go." Tariq said.

They looked at him. "Are you sure?" Callen asked.

"Yeah." Tariq nodded. "I've gone undercover with her before."

"Okay, here's what we do." Callen said. "Sam and Nadia stay here to keep watch –" He pointed at them and they nodded. "We'll head back to HQ and establish contact with Anderson as Badir, and we'll get Tariq ready to go undercover."

At that they split up. When they were back at the MCCBI they all got to work, Eric and Jimmy had Tariq talk to Derek through the numbers they assumed belonged to Badir. Once he had been told where the pick-up was they gave him a wire he wore in his ear that no one would notice, and then he was told to dress in a fancy suit.

Jo continued to yank on the pipe; it had begun to give away when she heard voices she quickly stumbled back to her place. She sat slumped against the wall and listened as men walked in. She pulled her knees to her chest as she saw Derek lead them, one man was wearing a suit, and the others looked like they belonged to some sort of militia.

"Here she is, Mr. Abdel Fattah." He said.

She glared at the man but paused when she saw that it was not who she was expecting. This man looked nothing like her family; he had a bulbous nose, a bristly mustache, and a heavily lined face. She knew those eyes anywhere; the calm blue eyes belonged to Tariq. "You have no idea how long we have been trying to locate her."

"I have a faint idea." Derek offered with a grin.

What the hell is he doing? She thought as she stared at him, didn't he realize that Derek could recognize him and then everything would be ruined.

Tariq didn't look amused. "Now that I see her, the promised money will be wired into your account. You may release her –"

"You said you'd give me the money in cash." Derek said, now that her head was a bit clearer she had time to assess the situation, she glanced up and saw Sam, Callen, and Nadia. When Sam saw that she was looking at him he silently gestured that they had the building surrounded. She looked down at Derek again. He was beginning to suspect the man who claimed to be from the Cartel. She slowly slid herself down to the turn in the pipe as she began to silently yank at it, Derek noticed as did his men. With an angry yell she yanked at the pipe as a firefight broke out.

"Jo!" Callen yelled as he threw her a gun, she grabbed it despite her hands being cuffed and she tried to shoot but her left eye was still blind, she let out a curse as a bullet grazed her cheek, she abandoned her efforts and threw herself down as she put her hands over her head to protect herself.

Before long silence fell, and Sam was on Derek's back as he cuffed him, the rest of his men were either down or being cuffed by the others. Nadia was at her side and she helped her up. "Boss!" She exclaimed.

"Good job guys…" She said weakly, now that her people were there she could feel hr fear roll away and she let herself slip into unconsciousness.

When she came too she could hear the soft beeping of hospital machines, she stirred and blinked slowly, she rejoiced silently when she saw that her vision was normal again. She suddenly felt very thirsty. The door opened and Sam walked in. He smiled when she saw she was awake. "S-" She tried but her throat was too dry, a nurse rushed past him with a straw in a cup to help her drink; when her throat was fine she tried again. "Where the hell am I?" She asked.

"In a private room in the Hospital." He said simply.

She let out a sigh as she closed her eyes again. "I'm going to be relocated again, aren't I?" She asked quietly.

"You know how it is, Kid." He said.

"So, do I have any cool scars?" She asked.

He chuckled. "Luckily the lacerations from the whip will fade – they were able to do everything to keep them from that – but that graze on your cheek – it was pretty deep."

"So I got a cool scar on my cheek." She said simply.

"You can say that." He chuckled.

She opened her eyes. "So, where are you going to take me, Special Agent Sam Hanna?" She asked.

"You're going to be relocated to Hawaii." He said. "We're going to have to legally change your last name again."

"Used to it, brah." She said. "Why Hawaii?"

"I have a friend there; we were on the same SEAL team for a short while." He said as he sat down.

"You're sending me to be baby-sat." She said.

He nodded. "You could say that." He said.

She let out a sigh, the only reason Sam bothered because her father – who had been killed when he tried to keep hidden from the Cartel, made him promise he'd try to keep Jumana as safe as possible. It was a part of the reason she accepted the position at the MCCBI so eagerly. "Who is this SEAL buddy?" She asked.

"His name is Steve McGarrett." He said.

"We can trust him?" She asked seriously.

Sam nodded. "I think he's going to be on leave soon, he should be back in Hawaii."

"And you're going to take me there to wait for him." She said simply.

He nodded. "It means I'm going to have to take some time off here for you." He added.

She pressed her palms to her eyes and she let out a long sigh. "I hate this." She said quietly.

"That's the price of being a good-guy." He said.

"Yeah, tell me about it." She muttered as she put her hands in her lap again. "When do we leave?"

"Soon, we're letting word out that you were shot in the crossfire – maybe that will throw the Cartel off your trace… and your in a secret room in the hospital, the people that know you're here are sworn to keep this in confidence." He added. "Your people won't be able to see you."

"I figured." She said. "My house?"

"Nadia's packing up everything." He said. "They're going to ship it to Hawaii, saying that you've left everything to a cousin on the Big Island."

She nodded slowly. "Well, this was well thought of." She said.

He grinned. "Now, you focus on getting better so that we can leave."

She saluted him and watched as he left. She let out a heavy sigh; it was time to move again. Hawaii, she had always wanted to go to Hawaii but she had never had the chance, maybe this would be her chance to start anew.

A couple of days later she was released from the hospital, Sam drove her to her apartment in a black SUV that had dark tinted windows, she knew the only way they were able to get away with that was because the license plate on the car was clearly government. She had asked him to take her to her apartment before he took her to LAX so that they could head out to Hawaii. Her right arm was in a sling and she was forced to use a crutch, apparently her time as a hostage left her more battered than she thought.

He followed her into the lobby and they walked into the elevator. "I want to live somewhere by the beach." She said as she stared at her reflection, the person she saw looked tired and worn out, she had circles under her eyes and her face looked hollow. The week was still taking its toll on her. "Probably somewhere I can surf."

"You don't know how to surf." He said.

"I'm thinking about picking it up." She replied as they stepped out onto the third floor, they walked to her apartment and she opened the door. When she walked in she saw it was painfully bare, her furniture was gone, and all of her pictures and books. "This is really happening again." She said.

"Let's hope this time this works out better than Ohio did." Sam said.

"Who would have known that they would have found me in a place as boring as Ohio?" She said.

He pulled out several things. "These are yours." He said. "A new passport, it was given to me today –" She grabbed it and saw her name was now Jumana Hassan, she had told them that she didn't want them to keep changing her first name about, remembering first names was a lot harder than remembering last names. "And a Hawaii-issued Drivers License –" He handed her the plastic card. "From now on you've always been from California, you've never been out of the country your whole life, your grandparents raised you in San Francisco, and you do speak Arabic fluently because of that." He told her. "You're going to Hawaii because they passed away and you want to go live closer to your cousin, but your cousin moved back to the mainland." He said.

"Got it." She said as she tucked them into the back pocket of her jeans with her good arm. "How many times does this make it?" She asked him.

"This is the fifth time we move you." He said in response.

"I hope Hawaii sticks." She said. She let out a heavy sigh. "Well, I guess it's time we moved out." She looked at him with a wry smile.

"Come on." He said as he ushered her out of the apartment, and out of yet another life.


	4. Hawaii

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or the places mentioned, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

* * *

He was still at Pearl Harbor, even after he spoke to the Governor because he had gotten a call from an old friend who needed to call in a favor. He pushed his hat back slightly as he glanced around studying he surroundings, out of the whole crowd someone stood out in particular, a young woman in a Hijab. He didn't really know why she stood out, but he noticed her as she stared out towards the USS Arizona memorial, he couldn't see her face but he could see she wore a flowing dress with a Cardigan.

"Steve." A familiar voice said; he turned around to see his friend Sam Hanna.

"Sam."

The men shook hands and Steve saw the woman glance over at them, he frowned when Sam waved her over. Sam looked back at Steve. "Heard about your dad, I'm sorry…" He said. "He was a good cop."

"Yeah." Steve said simply.

"This is my friend Jumana Hassan." He said as he gestured to the young woman. "And my favor."

Steve was wary, what on earth did he want? "How can I help?"

"You see, she's new to the Island – and I need someone to… keep an eye out for her." He said.

They way he said it made it seem like the girl was more trouble than she was worth, Steve didn't have time to be held back by someone because a friend needed him to baby-sit her. He could see she didn't look too enthusiastic about that either. In fact she had a scowl on her face. Sam huffed and turned to her.

"Jo." He said and then began to speak to her in Arabic. "_This is for the best_."

"_If you mean dumping me on some former SEAL buddy… yeah, it's for the best." _Despite her replying in Arabic, her voice was laden with sarcasm.

_"I'm not dumping you –"_

_"Yes you are, and don't try to convince me otherwise – I'm not stupid."_

Sam let out a frustrated sigh. "_How about you go get yourself some Ice-Tea and leave us alone for a bit."_

She scowled and reverted back to English with a huff. "Fine." She said before she walked off.

Steve knew they had used the language so that their conversation would have some semblance of privacy so he had turned away, with his time abroad he had picked up Arabic too but didn't want them to know that he understood. "I'm sorry about that," Sam said. "This move isn't… what she imagined."

"So what is it? Witness protection?" Steve asked.

Sam nodded. "You could say that, I'm not allowed to say much, not here… but I'm sure she'll probably end up telling you before long." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I just… need you to make sure she stays out of trouble, and I know that's asking a lot seeing as why you're back here." They saw Jo talking to a little girl who looked like she was lost. "She's used to jumping in to situations with guns blazing – so…" He shrugged as they watched Jo give the girl a tissue before she gently grasped her hand and they went to locate the child's parents.

"Just what did she do before she was dragged here?" Steve asked.

"Unit leader at the MCCBI," Sam said. "An investigative Bureau in California that takes on cases that involved Muslims; both Victim and Suspect."

"They probably tried to get them off easy." Steve said.

Sam shook his head. "Jo's sense of justice was… is – stronger than the Director, he wanted to go easy on them – she believed that all people need to be tried fairly regardless of their religion, Gender, and nationality." He looked at Steve. "So you get it why I need you to keep an eye out for her?"

"She'll probably burst in to HPD and try to run it herself." Steve said.

"Exactly." Sam said.

"I'll see what I can do." Steve said.

"Thanks, she's going to need a ride back – she lives around Ala Moana… a beach house… I'm going to have to go back to L.A now." He said.

She walked back to them looking happier, Sam gave her a look. "That kid was cute." She said with a shrug. "She was happy to find her Mommy – Anyways…" She paused.

"Anyways, I got to go, Kid." He said.

"Yeah, I figured." She said.

"Stay out of trouble." He said. "I don't want to get a call that you went into a hostage situation with guns blazing –"

"Yeah, New York was fun." She agreed.

Sam looked at her seriously. "Jo."

"I know, I know – stay out of trouble – keep your head down – don't mess with the wrong crowd – you need to find new things to tell me every time you dump me somewhere new." She pointed at him. "And if you send someone to check up on me I'll do something crazy like flash a whole crowd on national TV, think that'll get me recognized?"

Sam didn't look amused. "Jo, I mean it."

"Fine, fine." She said dryly. "I'll stay out of trouble – but I will eventually find a way to do some good." She put her hands on her hips.

"You have a hero complex." He stated. "Be good."

She nodded; he then nodded and turned to Steve. "Thanks again." He said.

"No problem." He said.

Sam patted her on the shoulder before he left the two as they studied each other awkwardly. "Look Kid –"

"Don't call me kid." She said. "I'm 28."

He frowned and nodded. "Look, I don't really care," He said. "I have some place to be, and right now you're keeping me from getting there, so I'm going to take you to your home and then go do whatever I need to do." He pointed at her. "Got it."

"Sheesh, you're grumpy." She said. "Yeah, I got it." She followed him to a navy pick-up. They both got in and he started the car. "So, where did you learn it?" She asked.

"What?" He said.

"Arabic." She said. "You turned your back, but your head was bent to the ground – and your ear was turned to us – you were listening in. Where did you learn it?"

"If I told you – I'd have to kill you." He stated.

"Ah, classified info… got it." She nodded. "How about your father, you do know busting into a crime scene is probably a federal offense?" She said. "I'm not sure about that... but I have a feeling it probably is..."

He glanced at her. "How –"

"I started off as an undercover kinda person," She stated. "You learn to… deduce."

"Who do you think you are? Sherlock?" He asked.

She paused and stuck out her bottom lip in thought and then she slowly shook her head. "No, I wish… but his hat would look horrible with my Hijab." She shrugged. "I'm just good at observing things."

"Right." He said.

Before long he pulled up at a house she directed him to, she got out and he hesitated. "Look, this is my personal number –" He handed her a card. "If you need anything –"

"Probably won't… but thanks anyways." She said as she tucked it into her pocket. "Mahalo for the ride Brah." She said.

"Try to fit in too much; they'll deduce you're not from here." He said sarcastically.

"Grumpy and a funny-man, nice." She said before she walked into her house. She pulled out her key from her purse before she unlocked the door, one inside she shut it behind her and then locked it again. A cat hopped off her sofa and trotted right over to her as she kicked off her flip-flops before she picked up the cat. She cradled her cat in one arm as she tossed her keys in a bowl that rested on a table beside the door, she then removed her Hijab.

She scratched her cat behind its ears and listened as it began to purr before she set the cat down on the floor. "How about some lunch, yeah?" She said as she walked into the kitchen, from one of the cabinets she pulled out some cat-food before she put it in a bowl, she then refilled the cat's bowl with water. "Good girl." She said fondly when the cat happily rushed over to the food; Jo removed her cardigan and tossed it onto one of the couches in her living room. She walked out to the Lanai of the house and past it she could see the stretch of beach before it became ocean. She could hear the woman next door yelling at her son, a hyper 7-year-old Jo had met when she first moved into the house. Like the other places the house lacked any personal photos, in the living room there was a piano, on a wall there was a massive flat-screen TV, the house was cozy but she knew it would never really be home. She forgot what home meant anyways.

She pulled the scrunchie out of her dark hair and it tumbled down past her mid-back. She let out a sigh as she walked up stairs to a hallway, there was her bedroom to the right and a guest bedroom to the left, she walked into her bedroom and took her dress off, she hung it behind her door and then she pulled on grey sweats and a worn out white t-shirt. She then went into the guest bedroom and stripped the bed from its sheets, Sam had been staying in the guest bedroom for almost two weeks now; she was surprised he had been able to take leave for that long, but he had been forced to stay with her longer before.

She reflected on how the past two weeks were, when they first arrived he said that they would be staying at a low-profile hotel until they were able to find her a place, she had been adamant on living by the beach, she said that since she used to go there as a child she felt a strong connection to the sea. Sam thought it was nonsense but obliged her anyway. They found the house in a housing project near Ala Moana where there were several houses built on the beach, they all looked the same from the outside, neat lawns in the front, Lanai's in the back and small boardwalks to the beach, each property had a wooden fence around it although Jo thought a fence was pointless, beach was beach, and sand was sand.

Sam had stayed to make sure she settled in and to make sure she was no longer injured, they had a doctor from the Navy check her out every so often, it annoyed her all this secrecy but after the incident in California, she understood – just like she did every time her security was compromised – being in Hawaii made it just another time she had to move. A part of her wanted to call this place home, the people were kind – and the air was clean.

She broke out of her reverie when she tossed the sheets into a basket before she replaced them, she grabbed the basket when she was done and then went to her room to collect her laundry. She filled her idleness with being as domestic as possible and it drove her insane. She missed the weight of the Badge at her hip. She let out a sigh as she put the basket down and put her hair up again realizing it was a mistake to do so in the first place. She grabbed the basket again and padded down to the basement where her washer and drier were. After putting in the sheets and tossing in the proper amount of detergents she walked away from it and headed back upstairs.

She threw herself onto her couch and fished the remote out from between the cushions before she hit the power button; she watched it turn on as she began to idly flip through channels. The News depressed her so she avoided it, Soap Opera's were just too terrible for her to watch, Daytime TV wasn't any better, and there wasn't anything worth watching on any other channel. She huffed and shut the TV again as her cat hopped into her lap. "I don't know why I even bother, nothing's ever on." She said.

The house was so freakishly quiet, Sam had at least given her some sense of security knowing he was there but now she was there with nothing but a side-arm she had hidden upstairs in case she ever needed it, but it still didn't make the house feel empty. She suddenly missed her sisters and brothers but they two were in hiding, the last she spoke to them they were somewhere in Germany but they had probably been moved since then. She scratched her cat behind the ears. "Aloha, Misty," She said to her cat. "This is Hawaii."


	5. Hello there Grumpy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or the places mentioned, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

* * *

The days continued to roll on without much going on, Jo was getting used to the slow pace of how everything was going and she had finally picked up surfing, she got a lot of stares because unlike everyone else she walked around in a high-necked wetsuit and a scarf that was tied around her head like a bandana so her hair and ears were covered. The person who was teaching her was a young woman who had learned Surfing from Hawaii's surfing legend Ian Adams. The woman was a Law major who was also a pro-surfer who gave lessons to beginners.

She saw the woman tying up her brown hair. "Amanda!" She called out and waved; under her right arm she carried her board.

"You made it." Amanda said.

Jo rolled her eyes. "Late one time – and you hold it against me for the rest of my life." She said as she gently put her board down. "So?"

"You ready?" Amanda asked.

"Ready when you are." She said.

"You're lucky the surf isn't that wild today," Amanda started. "Calm waves, you still need to take it easy." Jo didn't have the best balance and Amanda took every chance she could to remind her of that. "Anyways, you ready to head out?" She asked again.

"Yep." Jo said as they picked up their boards and headed for the water. They paddled out and Amanda was right, the waves weren't too big, the ocean was almost calm, the further out they paddled the more in awe she felt because all she saw ahead of her was the blues meeting in the horizon and an island in the distance. When Amanda told her to stop they sat on their boards for a while and she just stared around her. "I get it now," Jo said. "Why surfing is so great."

"And?" Amanda said, but she looked like she already knew the answer.

"There is just something so beautiful about being out here… it's so quiet… and calm…" She let out a sigh. "For a moment you forget whatever sort of mess you're going through… and it's just… this."

Amanda nodded. "Okay, there's a swell coming up – catch it." She ordered her.

Jo obeyed, she was gradually becoming better at catching waves, but she couldn't really stay on her board long enough so Amanda forced her to keep doing it until her body ached.

When they stopped the sun was beginning to dip down in the west. The pair sat on the sand with their boards stuck in the sand as they ate sandwiches they bought from a concession stand. "You're improving." Amanda told her. "Your balance is still terrible, but…" She nodded. "You learn fast."

"I take pride in picking up things quickly." She said. "We should go spelunking."

Amanda laughed as she sat back, leaning on her elbows. "I'm not even going to ask."

"It's probably best if you didn't." Jo teased.

"'Manda?" Someone said.

Both women turned their heads to see a guy with long blonde hair and the physique of a surfer. "I told you to stop talking to me Jared."

Jo had heard of this 'Jared', she had forced it out of Amanda to find out that she had broken up with him because he was abusive, and he had the habit of shop-lifting. "Come on, you won't even –"

"I told you I had enough." Amanda said as she got up. "Come on, Jo, we should get in a couple more turns before you head back."

"Sure." She said as they yanked their boards out of the sand. They began to walk back to the water but Jared grabbed Amanda's arm and yanked her back. Amanda looked distressed and Jo stepped in. "Hey, you want to let go, brah?" She said as she walked up to him.

"You want to stay out of this?" He said.

"She's my teacher dude, just let her go." She said as she gestured to Amanda.

"Why don't you go trip about?" He said. He had obviously seen her feeble attempts at keeping her balance.

She put her board down and then crossed her arms. "Let her go."

"Jo, just forget it." Amanda said but she could hear that her friend sounded pained.

"Hell no," Jo said. "Let her go before I make you let her go." She spoke with authority now.

"Who do you think you are? A cop?" He asked.

She chuckled and shifted her weight from one leg to the other. "Nah, brah," She said. "I think I'm her friend – if you want me to act like a cop – I can do that. So, feel like letting go?"

"You don't scare me –"

Amanda gasped when Jo barreled into the guy, within moments he was on the ground with Jo sitting on his back and his arms were twisted behind his hand. "You see, I'm not a cop – but…" She shrugged. "I was."

"_This_ is keeping out of trouble?" A voice said.

She turned her head to the source of the voice to see Steve McGarrett, or as she has come to think of him recently as 'Grumpy'. "This is keeping trouble from happening." She said and saw that just behind him was a man who was shorter than Steve. "What? Bring me a new Baby-Sitter? He's cute." She said dryly.

The partner looked amused. Steve, on the other hand, didn't. "Get off the guy." He said evenly.

She paused and then shook her head. "Nah, I don't feel like doing that." She said as she jerked the guy as he tried to break free. "Boy here has a history of abuse – and shoplifting… I'd book him… unfortunately I left my cuffs at home."

"Get off him." Steve said firmly.

"Fine –" She crouched down to speak in Jared's ear. "You get anywhere near my girl Amanda and I won't be as nice…" She said as she got up.

"You're crazy!" He yelled at her before running off.

"Yeah, I've heard that before." Jo shrugged as she watched him stumble about. She then turned to Amanda. "Sorry Mandy, looks like my day out has been cut short."

"Catch you on Friday." Amanda said. "And, that was…"

"Don't encourage her." Steve said dryly.

Amanda looked a bit terrified from the tall man, she quickly hugged Jo and then ran off, Jo picked her board up and then she scowled. "Thanks… go – scare off the only friend I've made on this Island." She said as she began to walk, the two fell into step with her. "Come to check up on me? I haven't done anything." She said.

"That sure a hell didn't look like not doing anything." Steve retorted.

She rolled her eyes. "The one minute I am doing something and you pop up." She said. "I suppose you tried my house?" She asked.

He gave her a look that told her he did. She frowned. "Look, I'd love to talk to you – but I got to get home –"

"I'm here to talk – and maybe offer you a job." He said.

She eyed him skeptically. "You mind following me to my place?" She said.

"No, I do not." He said.

"Good." They watched as she put her board in a silver case before she strapped it to the side of a motorcycle. She got on and got it started. "Well, you know where I live." She said before speeding off.

When she got to the house she saw a silver Camaro pull in to her drive way, she got off and grabbed her board again as she fished out her keys from a pocket in her wetsuit. "Come on." She said as she unlocked the door. The pair walked in and looked around the house as she tossed the keys into the bowl. "Make yourselves at home – just don't go into the basement, that's where I keep all the bodies." She said as she put her board against a wall. "I'll be quick, I'm just going to take a quick shower and change before we talk – there's some pizza in the oven, I made that today – help yourself if you want any… and some soda in the fridge – it's not much… but I do live alone." She shrugged and went up the stairs, she could hear them talking but didn't pause to listen.

After a quick shower she pulled on a black Abaya over black sweats and a white tank-top and then she put a Hijab on. She glanced at herself in the mirror to make sure she looked fine before she joined them. As expected Steve stood in the living room while his partner was in her kitchen eating a slice of pizza. "This is great!" He said. "Finally real pizza!"

"Let me guess, Jersey?" She asked as she walked past Steve.

"Yeah…" He said.

"I was in New York for a while, had a friend that lived in Jersey for a while." She said with a grin.

"Really, where?" He asked.

"North Bergen." She replied. "She doesn't live there anymore – so I never got to visit – wish I did."

"Nice… I'm Danny, Danny Williams." He said as he gestured to himself.

"You must be Grumpy's partner." She mused. "I'm Jumana Hassan, but I just go by Jo… it's a lot easier on the tongue."

"This isn't a social visit." Steve said.

"And here I thought I've been on your mind since that amazing time we first met." She said as she sat on a stool.

Danny pointed at her. "I like her."

"Shut up, Danno." He said.

Danny's face darkened and he fell silent. Jo looked at Steve. "Seriously, dude, why are you here?" She asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"One, I was supposed to keep an eye out for you." He said as he held out his index finger.

"Because that's doing so well." She said dryly.

"Two, Sam has had contact with me recently… asking about you." Steve said.

"You felt guilty – that's cute." She said. "And I am unimpressed."

He sat on a stool to face her. "Look, he told me that –" He stopped and looked at Danny. "Would you mind?" He said in an annoyed tone.

Danny raised his eyebrows. "… Wow…" He said.

Jo rolled her eyes and looked at Danny. "You know, these houses are pretty new and the beach is sublime –"

"I hate sand…" He said.

"You're in Hawaii!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, don't remind me." He said dryly.

She chuckled. "Through that door I have a library of every DVD I have ever bought –" She said. "First DVD bought…? 2000, and I think it was some Disney Movie – but I've got a pretty cool collection, and you look like a man who appreciates a good movie."

"Amen to that, sister." He said. "Do you mind –" He gestured to the pizza.

"Not at all." She said.

He walked off and then looked at Steve. "You were saying?"

Once Danny was out of Ear-Shot he continued. "Sam said than every time you relocated you managed to land yourself a job on some sort of Police Force." He said. "Why?"

She turned away from him as she stared at her cat curling up on the sofa. "Because –" She said. "If I tell you something – will it stay in confidence?" She asked. "Obviously Sam trusts you enough to let you know this much."

"Of course." He said.

"My birth name is Jumana Abdel Fattah." She said silently.

"Abdel Fattah…" That name was not unknown to him. "The… Badir Drug Cartel." He said.

She nodded and her shoulders slumped. "You see, I was born in California…" She stated. "January, 16th, 1982. When I was about ten, my family moved to the Middle East, my father wanted us to learn Arabic and our religion… I hated the move – I was never someone who adapted too well to change… On September 11th 2001 I was sitting in my living room, thousands of miles away in my living room in Amman watching in horror as the world changed… When I went into college I was a Drama major… but before I could graduate one of my cousins who had also been going to college at the time… he got mixed in with the wrong crowd, before we knew it he was travelling to places like Cuba and Panama… and he… changed." She frowned. "Some of the family had joined him… But the rest of us who didn't agree… we were threatened. In June 23rd of 2006 my father was murdered for being a strong voice of opposition against my cousin… I was 22 at the time, and that was the start of the whole Relocation thing – The longest I've ever stayed in one place was probably two years… and that would be the time before moving to Hawaii – when I was living in California." She frowned. "Every time I was relocated… it hurt to know that someone from my family was so… evil – so terrible… so I wanted to do something about it… I wanted to do good." She looked at Steve who had been listening intently. "So… at first I started off in New York, I worked with the NPD as an Undercover person, they wouldn't call me a cop. That lasted about a year, I was recognized by someone from the Italian mob; apparently my cousin has a bounty on the rest of the family." She let out a quiet sigh. "From there I was relocated to Georgia – I spent time in Fort Benning, they were aware of my situation so they agreed to teach me basics… enough to be able to do cop-work… that lasted half a year… That Alias was weak… and Georgia was a bit smaller than I thought it was… I was then relocated to Boston – there I had a lot of free time… I picked up a bit of psychology… not a lot – just a book or two – and was able to get a job with the Boston Police Department… That was a good job – it lasted a year and a half… When I was caught in a cross-fire between the police and an Irish Cartel there… I was recognized again – and finally moved to L.A – which ended up with me getting taken as a hostage so that my cousin could get to me."

She waited for him to speak but he said nothing. "I wasn't assigned Sam until after Fort Benning, but he was still doing work as a SEAL so he would just hand me off to someone else… and that's how I ended up here." She paused. "And I'm kind of hoping that Hawaii lasts longer than any other place."

He looked like he was deep in thought. Danny still hadn't appeared; she hoped he was still going through her massive collection. "Your time in Boston would explain why… you're observant." He said.

She hadn't really expected him to speak. "… yeah."

"Would you like to get back in the saddle?" He asked.

She spluttered. "Are you serious?" She said. "You'd let me – after what Sam said –"

"It would make my job easier." He reasoned. "At least I'll know where you are at all times…"

"How convenient for you." She retorted dryly.

"And you call _me_ grumpy?" He asked her. He got up. "So? Do you feel up to it?"

"With HPD?" She asked skeptically.

"No," He said. "With the Governor's Task Force."

"Hawaii Five-0." Danny said as he appeared with a stack of DVD's. "Mind if I borrow these?"

She looked at Steve. He held out a badge. "I bet you'd like to have one of these again." He said.

She chewed the inside of her cheek as she considered this, she would get to do exactly what she wanted, and maybe here she would be able to stop her cousin while she was at it, she had the feeling that working with Steve 'Grumpy' McGarrett would be beneficiary for her, and maybe she would finally find her place… She nodded. "I'll do it." She said.

"Right hand up." He said.

"Wait – right here? Now?" She asked.

"No better time than the present." He said. "Hand up." She huffed and obeyed; Danny smirked and sat on the couch as he watched the exchange. "Repeat after me: 'I, Jumana Hassan, do solemnly declare upon my honor and conscience that I will act at all times to the best of my ability and knowledge in a manner befitting an officer of the law.'"

She sat up straight, she had never been officially sworn in like this before so it made her feel important. "I, Jumana Hassan, do solemnly declare upon my honor and conscience that I will act at all times to the best of my ability and knowledge in a manner befitting an officer of the law."

He grabbed her left hand and put the badge in it. "Welcome to the Five-0." He said.

Her eyes widened. "You knew –"

"I had a feeling you wouldn't say no." He said. "You start tomorrow."

She paused. "Wait, I have to call you boss now?" She asked. "As in… Boss Grumpy?"

Danny chuckled and Steve didn't look amused. "Yes, I'm Boss Grumpy." He said. "Come on – do you know where the building is?" He asked.

"Not very hard to miss." Danny said. "Big Kamehameha statue right out in front."

"I think I'll manage." She said.

"Well, we did what we came here to do." Steve said. "Time to go." Danny got up. "Thanks for the pizza… it was heaven –" He said. "And thanks for the movies – I'll have them back when I watch them."

"No worries." She said as she grinned. She then watched them leave; she followed them and locked the door before she turned her gaze to the badge with a happy grin.


	6. Rookie

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or the places mentioned, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

If you're liking the story don't forget to leave a review please! I would like to know what you think about it =]

* * *

She fumbled about for her phone as it beeped uncontrollably, it didn't help that her cat was hissing at it. She shut the alarm off and then rubbed at her eyes with a sigh, she pushed the covers aside and got up, first thing she did was shower and then she prayed, once she had breakfast she went back upstairs to get dressed, she pulled on a pair of khakis and a dark green tunic before she put a white Hijab on. She grabbed her new badge and ran her thumbs over it with a small smile before she pinned it on the waist of her pants, she smoothed her shirt down and then pulled out her favorite boots, she pulled them on and laced them before she walked down again, once she made sure her cat had enough food and water she grabbed her helmet and keys and then she left the house.

Once she had locked the door she walked to her bike and shoved her helmet on before she sat upon it and revved it into life, with that she quickly turned and set off down the street towards her new job. She locked her bike beside another before she grabbed her helmet under her arm and she walked up the steps. When she pushed past the glass doors beyond the lobby she found herself facing a small group of people, Steve looked up from a table towards her and Danny grinned. "Pizza Lady!" He said.

She nodded to him. Steve leaned on the table and looked at her. "You're late."

She huffed and looked at the ground. "Calm down, don't give the rookie heat." Someone said, she looked up to see the third man who stepped forward and held out his hand. "I'm Chin Ho Kelly." He said.

She grasped his hand and shook it. "Jumana Hassan." She said. "But you can just call me Jo, everyone else does."

The only other woman there grinned and stepped forward. "I'm Kono Kalakaua. I'm a rookie too." She said.

Jo grinned.

"And you're not late," Danny said. "We were just called in early for a case – and _someone_ obviously forgot to take your number to alert you – very unprofessional."

Steve looked annoyed as he glanced at his partner. "I didn't forget. I was testing her."

"Testing her for what? To see if she can read that obviously thick head of yours?" He gestured to Jo. "The poor girl looks bewildered."

"Not bewildered… amused." Jo said. "I'm sorry I was late, Boss, I won't do it again." She said as Kono took the helmet and put it on a desk she assumed was now hers. "And I would appreciate it if I got called the next time there was a case –" She nodded.

Steve eyed her and then nodded. "Come here." He said.

She obediently walked over and stood beside him and saw that the table had a screen on it, she saw the picture of a dead young woman, "Hey, isn't that the Ambassador to the Philippine's daughter?" She asked.

They all paused. "How do you know that?" Chin said.

She chuckled. "The girls like to party – I've seen them in a fair few tabloids myself when I stayed at New York for a while…" She then frowned. "… She's a victim?" She asked.

"She was found in the ocean…"

"C.O.D?" She asked.

"So far we think it's because of drowning." Kono said.

"_Think?_" Jo said.

"Her hands were bound," Chin said. "She was taken to the Medical Examiner so that we can determine the true C.O.D."

She nodded and stared at the picture. "You say she was found in the ocean? How?"

"Tour sub." Danny said. "They were taking a tour, and some kid spotted her… saying it was a mermaid." He frowned.

"Poor kid." She mused.

"Yeah, I'll say." He agreed.

She paused as she stared at the picture of the deceased Amanda Reeves. "She had a sister." She said. "Where is her sister?"

"We think she may be abducted…"

"Have you spoken to the Ambassador?" She asked.

They nodded. "We're about to head back…" Steve started.

She frowned. "Why would you be investigating the death of some Rich Girl?" She asked. "Ambassador or not, I think this is something a bit out of your jurisdiction – whatever the hell your jurisdiction is."

"The Governor personally requested we take on this case." Steve said.

She nodded and looked up at the others. "She must really like you guys." She said.

They silently glanced at each other before they nodded. "Okay," Steve said. "Chin, I want you to head back to the Ambassador, take Jo with you –" He pointed to them. "Kono, stay here and see what you can find on the sister, I'm going to the M.E, Danny –"

"Yeah, yeah." He muttered.

Jo saw he was using a cane to get around; she shrugged and followed Chin as she grabbed her helmet. "Oh no," He said. "We're taking my truck."

She put the helmet back and paused as he handed her a gun. "I have my side-arm." She said.

"Doesn't hurt to have an extra." He said.

She agreed and grabbed it from him as she attached the holster to her belt. She then followed him out of the building, they got into a truck and he drove off. "So what have you got?" Jo asked him as she looked over at Chin.

"The parents are devastated," He said. "I'm going back to question security, maybe you can talk to the parents?"

"Sure." She said.

A short while later they stopped and they both got down. Jo looked around and saw a lot of men that were security, she noticed that some didn't look as alert as others. She frowned as she put her hands on her hips.

"What?" Chin asked her.

She nodded to the men she noticed. "Those men," She noticed. "There's something about them – they don't look as alert as the others."

He nodded. "I guess I'll question those." He said and then they separated, Governor Pat Jameson greeted Jo as she shook her hand.

"You must be Jumana Hassan." She said.

"Indeed that I am." She said.

"I've been informed of your situation, Ms. Hassan – and I welcome you to my task force." She said.

Jo hesitated. "Everything?" She asked.

"Not a fan of Ohio, yeah?" She said.

"I guess it makes sense that you should, you are my Boss anyways." She said. "I was sent by Commander McGarrett to speak to the Reeves'."

"This way." The Governor said.

She followed her to the grieving couple, they looked up with anticipation. "Is there anything about Robyn?" Ambassador Michael Reeves asked.

"I'm sorry," She said. "My team-mates are working on it; I'm here to offer my deepest condolences." She said as she sat down. "… And to ask questions." She admitted.

"Of course." He said.

She clasped her hands together gently as she stared down at them. "I just wanted to ask if you know where the girls went to yesterday."

"They went to the movies with some friends," Michael's wife, Sarah, said gently. "You see, we come to Hawaii for vacation every year – so…"

"They know the island well." Jo nodded gently. "Do you know who they went out with?" She asked.

Sarah frowned. "N-no… we don't."

Jo frowned. "You don't know who they went out with?"

"You see, they have a big circle of friends." Michael said.

"Can I have some names and numbers?" Jo asked.

She could have sworn she saw a moment's hesitation in their eyes as they glanced at someone beyond her; she turned to see Chin speaking to one of the guards, when she looked back at them Sarah frowned. "We'll give them to you – just please, find our baby girl." She said.

Jo nodded as someone handed her a list of names with numbers. Chin joined her and nodded to her, she followed and they stood by the truck for a moment. "Seems odd." She muttered.

"I'll say, the guard was flown in today – suspicious…"

"The parents know something," She said. "They looked hesitantly over me when I mentioned wanting names and numbers of people that associate with their daughters, when I turned they were looking to the guard you were speaking to." She leaned on the hood of the car. "I think we should head back to HQ…"

"I'll run a check on that security guard –"

"And I will contact Amanda's and Robyn's friends, see what they tell us…" She said as they hopped into the truck and he tore off back to HQ.

Jo walked into the office Kono had put her helmet in earlier and she placed the numbers on her desk as she grabbed her cell-phone and began to call.

She paused after calling the final friend on the list and saw that Steve and Danny were back. She got out and Chin began to tell them about the security guard. When he finished they looked to Jo. "I called their friends, they all confirmed that they went to the cinema – but they were all mum on what happened after." She said as she leaned on the table. "I'm assuming they decided to go bar-hopping… with their rep? I wouldn't be surprised." She shrugged. "I was a kid once; too, I know that when I hung out with my friends I didn't want my parents to know whatever the hell we were doing."

"You sound like you were a delinquent." Danny commented.

"What did you find with the parents?" Steve asked her.

"They were hesitant when I asked about their friends, almost like if they were wondering if it was okay to give me that info." She frowned. "For a moment they looked suspicious to me… At first I thought maybe they had their daughters taken – but then I realized why would they do that? However, they definitely know something and they aren't telling us." She shrugged.

Steve nodded. "Good job." He said. "You're right about the clubbing though –" He put a picture onto the screen and they saw a stamp on Amanda's hand.

"The Zephyr lounge." Kono said.

Steve nodded to Jo. "Impressive."

She nodded. "Who's going to check out the club?" She asked.

"Danny and I will." Steve said. "You and Kono can go speak to these kids; you're allowed to use force if you have to."

"Why boss," She said. "You make it sound like I resort to violence all the time."

"Then I won't remind you of how we found you yesterday." He said dryly.

Kono chuckled at the exchange. "Ready to go to?"

"Yep." She said. "Let me guess, your car."

"Got that right, Sistah." She said.

Jo grinned as she grabbed the list and she followed Kono out the door.

The first house they went to was close by. "First Friend is a Natalia Roman." She said as she stared at the big house. "Her father works for the Supreme Court, she lives here with her mother and brother who is sixteen." Jo looked at Kono. "Ready?"

"Oh yeah." She nodded.

They both got out of the car and walked to the house, Jo pressed her finger to the doorbell and they waited. A short while later a woman appeared, she had blue eyes and brown hair that was flecked with grey, around her eyes there was slight crinkles; she smiled gently. "How can I help you?"

"We're looking for Natalia?" Kono asked.

The woman suddenly looked concerned. "Is this about Amanda?" She asked. "Poor Natalia is devastated… She was with her just last night."

"We know," Jo said. "We're here to ask her about that."

"Did Natalia do something wrong?" She asked.

"No, Ma'am." Jo said. "We just want to make sure that they didn't see anything suspicious, you know? We're just being precautious."

"Oh, of course, come in." She said gently.

Jo looked around the house; it was a big one that reminded her of Beverly Hills, the woman was elegant Jo surmised she was probably in her early forties, she was five-foot-five, she took care of herself but from what she could tell she didn't use hair-die or plastic surgery.

"Mrs. Roman where is Natalia?"

"I'll go call her, have a seat." She said gently and then she left them. They looked around the house they could see pictures, when they heard foot-falls they saw Mrs. Romano and Natalia, Natalia was a leggy five-foot-eight Brunette, her blue eyes were rimmed with tears and they were red. Despite her red nose and cheeks they could tell she was quite beautiful.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

"Natalia, I'm Jo – we spoke on the phone."

The girl looked terrified and her mother looked confused. Jo let out a sigh. "Mrs. Roman, is it okay if I spoke to Natalia alone?" She asked.

"Oh, sure –" She looked a bit suspicious but Jo shrugged her off as Natalia led her outside so they could sit on a porch.

Jo watched as Natalia sat on the porch swing, "So, want to tell me what really happened?" She asked.

Natalia looked up and frowned. "I- it… I –" She frowned.

"You know anything said between us – doesn't have to get to your parents, if that's what you're worried about." She said.

Natalia let out a quiet sigh. "Yesterday we did go to the movies." She said. "And then after…"

"You went to Zephyr." Jo said.

"How do you know that?" She asked.

"We saw the stamp on her hand." Jo said gently. "Continue please."

"So we went in – and we were having fun, you know?" She said. "And then… Amanda and Robyn – some guy bought them drinks – and he was really clingy…" She let out a shaky sigh. "I didn't think much of it so I left."

"You just left them?" Jo asked.

"… I didn't leave… alone." She said and Jo understood the implications.

"Oh… who else went with you to Zephyr?" She asked.

"Rebecca Green and Francis André."

Jo nodded. "Thank you Natalia, we will find Robyn, okay?"

Natalia nodded and Jo left her, Kono looked at her and she nodded. "Thank you so much for your time Mrs. Roman." Kono said.

"Is everything okay?" Mrs. Roman asked.

"Just fine." Jo said with a gentle nod. "Just give Natalia some time and she'll be as right as rain." She then left with Kono.

Once they were in the car. "Anything?" Kono asked.

"Natalia told me that some guy took interest in Amanda and Robyn." She said.

"And she did nothing?" Kono said.

"Rich twenty-something year old… I don't think doing the smart thing is up there –" Jo tapped her own head as she sat back.

"Are we going to talk to the other two?" Kono asked.

"You're the driver – your call." She said.

Kono nodded. "We'll go talk to them, just to make sure their stories match up."

It was well into the night when Kono and Jo returned. Steve looked up at them as they walked in bearing coffee for everyone. "Anything?" He asked them.

"Well, we find out from the three friends that went out with her that some guy took interest in her." Jo said. "They all said the same thing – left Zephyr… but didn't leave alone." She frowned. "What do you have?"

"The M.E found Flunitrazepam in her system…"Chin said. "More commonly known as –"

"Roofies." Jo said.

"We pulled security footage from the Zephyr – we saw them walking in… Danny and Steve went to check it out." He leaned on the table. The girls sat down and watched as Chin continued to work.

Before long Steve and Danny walked in supporting a man who looked like he was asleep. Jo – who was drinking coffee – looked at them. "When I took this job, I didn't know it would include drugging men and bringing them in like that." She said dryly.

"We turned the tables on this guy." Steve said.

"You drugged him?" Kono asked.

"No, he drugged himself." Danny said.

"How'd you manage that?" Chin said.

"Made him drink it." Steve said.

"I think I'm impressed…" Jo said.

Danny pointed at her. "You will not encourage his barbaric behavior." He said. "Now come on – we got to get this guy into interrogation."

They watched as they dragged him off. "Interesting – is that his approach to interrogation?" She asked them.

"So far he's dangled a person off a roof, and he's put another in a shark cage." Chin said.

"You guys seem to have a lot of fun here." She commented sarcastically.

"What about you?" Kono asked. "The way you worked today – you don't act like a rookie."

She shrugged. "It's a long… long story." She said. "And unfortunately… classified information."

Chin pointed at her. "You sound like someone with quite a story to tell… if you could."

"Oh buddy, you have no idea." She said. They could hear an air-horn from downstairs. "Oh, looks like they've begun the interrogation."

"You really can't tell us?" Chin said.

"If Boss feels like he should – he would probably tell you – if he hasn't then –" She made a zipping motion across her lips. About half an hour later Steve and Danny joined them again.

"What did you get?" Chin asked.

"Apparently he collects girls for the Human Trafficking business." Steve said.

"They were taken last night –" Jo said. "Robyn could be halfway across the country by now."

"We're going to stop that." Steve said. "We know where the house is – we're going to raid – except –"

"Me." Jo nodded. "You guys head in – I'll stay here – see what else I can find…" She said.

"We're going to make the drop-off because they're expecting it." Steve said.

"Who's going to go?" Jo asked. "Danny?" She scoffed.

"I will." Kono said.

About an hour later she watched them leave, she sat staring at the screen at Amanda and she frowned. She got up and began to type away, maybe she would be able to figure something out.

She didn't know how late it was but she knew she was sipping coffee when they finally walked in as they stripped their gear off. "Did you get anything?" She asked them.

"She wasn't there." Danny said.

"We found out where she is though – Carlos Bagoyo." Steve said. "Run a –"

"Hey – isn't he that guy in the Philippines that is fiercely against the US existing there?" She asked.

Steve looked a bit annoyed at being interrupted. "Yes." He said. "I want you to run a search at the places he could be hiding –"

She paused. "Wait –" She said. "If Carlos Bagoyo was the person to –" She smacked her hand on the table. "Hey Chin, remember that guy you spoke to? The one who seemed a bit shady?"

"… Yeah." He said.

"What if he was from a –"

"K&R Insurance firm?" He asked. "I was starting to think so too."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Steve asked.

"Kidnap and Ransom Insurance." Chin said. "They take care of situations like this – high-profile kidnappings –"

"I knew the parents were withholding something from us." She said.

"Usually these companies step in to take care of these situations – everything from contacting the kidnappers – to handing over the money." Chin added.

"If Bagoyo gets the money –" Jo said.

Steve frowned. "That's bad." He said. "We need to do everything to get this guy."

Jo, for fear of being discovered by the wrong people decided she had to take a step back, so when Steve was in his office for a moment she followed him. He looked up when she walked in. "Boss – I'm going to have to –"

"Sit this one out." He nodded. "I figured – I heard that the Badir Cartel has your face out there for their people to find."

"Question." She said. "You knew that I probably bring trouble with me – even if they assume I'm dead… They'll find out eventually find out… I'm a high-risk sort of person to be around… why the hell did you hire me?"

He pointed at her. "Deduce it."

She was amused as she nodded. "I see," She said. "Well – I'm going to be in my office if you need me."

"Hey, Rookie." He said and then handed her some files. "You've got paperwork to do."

She balked when she saw the thin stack. "Of course." She said before she took it and stalked off.


	7. Ohana

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or the places mentioned, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

* * *

As Jo walked along the shore-line she reflected on the previous day, Bagoyo had been apprehended and Robyn had been returned to her family. She let out a sigh, the situation she was in was probably going to put her through a lot of grief.

"Hey." A voice said, she turned around to see Kono who was smiling.

"Hello." Jo replied.

"I tried the house and didn't find you – I figured you'd probably be out here." Kono said as she jabbed her thumb over her shoulder to Jo's house.

"You thought right." Jo said with a grin.

Kono hesitated. "Are you alright?" She asked.

"I'm fine." She replied. "Just after all that excitement the past two days the house feels really boring." She shrugged.

Kono grinned. "Hey, do you like Shave Ice?" She asked.

Jo grinned. "Yeah, I do."

"How about we go." She said. "You know, I heard you don't really hang out with anyone."

"I'm a hermit."

Kono chuckled. "Well, go on – get your shoes and then you'll get the best Shave Ice on the island!"

"Aurite." Jo chuckled as they walked back to the house.

A while later Kono took her to a place called Waiola Ice, "Howzit, Cuz?" The man within the shop said. "Hey, who's the new Haole?"

"Kamekona, this is Jo –" She gestured to Jo. "She works with us now."

"Hi." She said.

"Aloha!" He greeted loudly. "What can I get you two?"

"Grape." Kono said.

Jo leaned on the counter. "Can I have rainbow?" She asked.

He laughed. "Aurite!" He said. "Why don't you lovely ladies have a seat?"

They grinned and went to sit on a bench. "When I was a kid in California –" Jo started as Kamekona gave them their Shave Ice. "My parents used to take me to this big park every Sunday… There used to be this – Ice Cream truck that passed by… and I always wanted the baseball glove with the gumball in the middle."

"Let me guess – you never got it." Kono said with a grin.

"You guessed right – instead I would get a Snow Cone." She studied her dessert. "It was not as colorful as this –" She took a bit with her straw and she grinned. "Nor as good." She grinned.

"That's good to know." Kono laughed.

They just sat there, chatting idly and enjoying the Shave Ice, Jo had figured out why Kono was really there, she knew it wasn't about spite – she was genuinely curious. She smiled gently after a while. "I'm not going to be able to tell you what it is you want to know."

Kono's face fell. "How did you even –"

"I saw your face last night." She said with a shrug. "Believe me, I don't know you all that well – but I know that you're a really good person – it's not that I don't trust you – it's just… It is… literally dangerous knowledge."

"Fine…" Kono said. "Hey, in two days there's a Surf Tournament… the guy that trained me is going to be there – I heard you surf, want to go?" She asked.

"Sure, why not?" She paused. "I probably won't be able to keep up."

"We can go out into the water later – you and me," Kono said. "When the event is over."

"Alright." Jo said with a big smile. The pair walked back to Kono's car so Kono could drive Jo back home. She got out of the car and thanked her with a grin. "Thanks Kono." She said.

"No problem." She said with a grin.

She waved as Kono drove off before she walked into her house; her cat Misty greeted her with a soft meow. She bent down to pat her head gently before she removed her Hijab, minutes later her cell-phone rang; she pulled it out of her pocket and saw it was from a familiar former SEAL. She answered and grinned. "Ello, Samwise." She said.

"Jo," He said, his voice was grim – so grim it startled her and she instantly knew he wasn't making a social call, he had news. "I have some bad news."

She sat down. "Who died?" She asked slowly.

"Your cousin, the one we moved to Serbia." He said slowly. "I am so sorry."

She held back a sob as she nodded. "Badir?" She asked.

"Yeah, I don't know how they found her Jo, I –" He paused. "You are not to investigate – we're handling it."

"But –"

"I know, she's family – and one of your closest friends – I get that… but this is something you need to stay out of for your safety – got it? I called Steve to keep an eye on you –"

"You don't need to keep assigning me a keeper!" She exclaimed.

"That is not up to you – right now I'm ordering you to accept protection." He said in his most commanding SEAL voice.

She let out a small sigh as she nodded. "Yes, Sir." She said.

"Good." He said. "Because from now on he will be keeping a better eye on you."

"He can't stay here every night." She grumbled.

"Just until I think it is clear for him to leave you alone – got it?" He said.

She let out a sigh. "Yeah, I got it." She muttered.

"Good." They both paused when someone knocked on the door, she threw her Hijab on and pulled out her gun as she cautiously walked to the door; she peered out through the peep-hole and saw Steve standing there. She opened the door and she handed out the phone to him.

"McGarrett." He said.

She put her gun away as she let him walk into the house, he spoke in hushed tones with Sam as she carried Misty into the kitchen so she could put her some food. Before long Steve appeared and leaned on the breakfast-bar. "What the hell is that?" He asked.

"Uh, it appears to be a cat." She said.

"I mean, why do you have a cat?" He asked.

"It get's lonely?" She said with a shrug. "So?"

He studied her as she put the cat down before she moved to the breakfast bar to face him. "So, Lieutenant Commander –" She said. "What news?"

"I've been asked to keep an eye on you for the next couple of days in case the Cartel knows you're alive." He said. "Once we're sure you're safe – I'll leave you alone."

"Sound like a plan," She said. "It's one thing having you as my boss – and another thing as a live-in baby-sitter." She huffed. "There's a spare room upstairs you can use –"

"I'll be staying down here." He said. "That way I have easy access to the exits –" He studied the house and nodded.

"Fine." She said with a shrug. "Look, make yourself comfortable – kitchen's fully stocked if you need anything – I'm going upstairs –"

"Why?" He asked suspiciously.

"To take a shower." She said with an annoyed tone.

"Right," He said. "Well, I'm going to go survey the parameter."

"You do that." She said as they parted ways. Jo walked up the step; since Steve had walked in she had to fight back whatever grief she had after hearing news of her cousin. She grabbed her things and then went into the shower, once she was under the jet of water she sat on the floor as she hugged her knees to her chest. The cousin in Serbia was one of her best friends, unlike her the rest of her family who had been relocated had been relatively calm so they did not need to be moved as often as she was. She pressed her palms to her eyes as she felt hot tears burning at her eyes, she felt like she was drowning.

Ever since her father was killed in '06 Jo hadn't lost any other family members and now losing someone who meant so much to her hit her in a way she never thought it could.

She had seen many murder cases, people killing those they loved for stupid reasons, and people dying for all the wrong reasons – she never thought it would hit so close to home. A sob escaped her lips unbidden as she cried into her hands. She hiccupped after a long while as she ran her hands over her hair as she stared up at the water. She clasped her hands under her chin, one could pretend to be strong for so long. She tried to be carefree, and fine all the time – but really she was beyond terrified. She wanted to know if the rest of her family was okay but she knew she couldn't contact them.

She heard a knock on the door. "Hey!" Steve said.

She tried to even out her voice. "Am I not allowed Privacy?" She asked.

She could almost hear him sigh. "You're not a stranger to protocol, so don't act out." His voice was even, she knew she was acting unprofessionally; she let out a quiet sigh as she nodded.

When she spoke up her voice betrayed her dismay. "Just… give me a moment." She said.

She assumed he walked away because she couldn't hear him. When she was done, she dried off and got dressed, she put on a fresh Hijab and then she put her clothes in the laundry before she walked out into her room. The door was shut and he was nowhere to be seen, she walked to the door and opened it, she glanced back into the mirror and saw her eyes were red. She shook her head and walked out the door.

She made her way downstairs and found Steve looking out the window. "Parameter is clear." He informed her.

"I figured." She said as she sat on a stool. He looked over at her and then he let out a sigh.

"Look, I'm sorry about your loss." He said. "Sam… told me you two were close." He looked at her. "I know what it's like."

"I know." She said quietly.

For a moment there was an understanding between them, they both had something in common, the loss of people who were dear to them. He sat on the couch. "I know it's probably killing you that you're here." He said.

"Can't you pull some strings?" She asked weakly. "Get me into that investigation?"

He looked amused. "No." He said.

She looked dejected as she stared down at her hands. "Oh."

"Look, I'm supposed to keep you out of trouble – I'll admit I was not too happy about it – but I owe Sam a favor." He paused when he saw the look on her face. "Hey." He said. "Now you're one of my people, okay?" He said. "And we all stick out for each other."

She looked at him hopefully. "I –"

"We'll take them down." He promised. He stepped back. "I brought back-up."

"Who?" She asked.

"Someone my dad trusted – someone I trust." He said. They heard someone on the door. "It's open!" He called out.

A minute later Chin walked in, she grinned as he waved with the semblance of a goofy grin. Jo paused and she pointed at Chin. "You told him?"

"Yes." Steve said with a look that clearly said. 'Duh.'

"Sorry for your loss." Chin said.

"Thank you." She said.

Chin and Steve went to work, setting up security cameras around the house, outside – and in the living room, in the basement they were going to set up a small surveillance room. Jo, on the other hand, thought the best way to get her mind off of things was to maybe cook them dinner. As she prepared a simple dinner she could hear them working around the house. She put some spaghetti noodles in a pot of boiling water as she moved to make spaghetti sauce.

She didn't know how long she spent standing in the kitchen working but she heard a voice speak appreciatively. "Smells good." Chin said.

She turned and grinned with a shrug. "Figured you guys are stuck baby-sitting me, I'd at least feed you." She pulled out garlic bread from the oven. "My grandmother – as all grandmothers are – she was a brilliant cook."

"Not mine." Steve said as he walked in carrying a bunch of wires, he dropped them on the floor, almost hitting Misty who hissed at him and raced up the stairs.

"Well, most grandmothers," Jo said. "She taught my mother all she knew – and in turn – I was taught everything – although… Single gal like me? I don't get to cook all that much." She chuckled. "Dinner is almost ready so…" She trailed off as they walked off.

About fifteen minutes later they sat around a table, "We've installed cameras around the premise –" Steve said. "On the exits, and in the basement – with a live feed to the unit we set up down there." She looked at him from across the small table; Chin was eating but nodding every time Steve said something. "For now we're going to be watching here – Chin will be here throughout the day, but at night we only need one man – with us, half of the task force is gone."

"I still get to work, right?" Jo said. When Steve didn't say anything she clenched her fists under the table. "Right?"

"That has yet to be seen." He replied.

"What?!" She said. "You hired me knowing the risks! Why would you do that?!"

"Deduce it." He said coolly.

"You can't say 'Deduce it' every time I ask a freaking question!" She was annoyed, and upset, and Steve's cool attitude was driving her crazy. He crossed his arms and stared her down. "And don't try that mean SEAL act because Sam's tried it with me and it doesn't work –" She got up. "Enjoy your dinner." She then stormed off outside the house.

"Not cool brah." Chin said.

Steve shrugged. "She needs to learn where the line is." He replied.

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" Chin asked. "Plus, she isn't a child – I think, out of everyone, she knows what she can and can't do."

"It's not my job to put that into consideration." Steve said.

Outside Jo sat down on the sand as she stared at the water, the waves gently lapped on the shore. She picked up a shell and studied it gently. She had always hated her situation, and she had always tried to make the best of it – but now there was a man who was a SEAL who was her boss, and he thought he had the power to make her do whatever the hell he wanted. That was one element she never had before – a presumptuous Care-Taker. Sam always let up when he realized his SEAL face never worked with her. She let out a long sigh and then she threw the shell as far as she could – which wasn't very far.

"For someone who goes in guns ablaze – you have a terrible arm." Chin said.

"Grumpy sent you to make peace?" She asked.

"Nah." He said as he sat down beside her. "McGarrett is above that."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure."

"Hey," He said. "I'm sure this thing will blow over – He probably cares just a bit more than he's willing to admit, you know? You're one of us now… And that's more than just a team."

"Oh yeah?" She asked. "What is it?"

"Ohana." He said gently.

"Ohana…" She said quietly.

"'Ae." He nodded.

She let out a sigh as she stared out to sea again. "It's been a while since I've had that."

Chin put his arms around her shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. "Well, welcome to ours."

She couldn't help but smile. "Thanks."


	8. Mana'o

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or the places mentioned, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

* * *

That night she was curled up in her bed with Misty sleeping in the curve of her body, she was fast asleep until she heard something creek. She quickly sat up, disturbing Misty as she got out of bed and threw a Hijab on, she grabbed her gun and held it out as she moved through the house; she pointed her gun into the spare room before she checked it. When she saw it was clear she moved on, she could hear more movement below, she let out a surprised yell when she found herself staring at a gun, when she looked up and saw Steve who looked just as freaked out as she did.

"Don't do that!" She exclaimed.

"Why the hell are you creeping around like that?" He asked.

"I heard noises." She snapped.

"So you pull your gun?" He asked.

"Why is your gun pulled out?" They were both still aiming at each other still, when they realized that they dropped their arms.

"It's my job." He said.

She let out a sigh as she walked down the stairs; he followed closely as she lit the light of the kitchen. "I forgot you were here." She said as she put her gun on the counter before she pulled out a tea-kettle. "Tea?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

She filled it with water before she put it on the stove. She moved to a cabinet and pulled out two tea-cups from her bone-china set. She placed them on the counter and then she grabbed two saucers. "You had to do that often?" He asked.

"Yeah." She said. She silently pulled out the sugar bowl. "How many?" She asked.

"Two."

She dropped two sugar cubes a cup. "In Ohio," She said. "I was found in the house I was living in –" She shrugged. "They broke in when they figured out where I was…" She paused. "I'm going to ask you a question, and I want you to answer honestly."

"Go ahead."

"How long do you think I have here before they find me out?" She asked as she paused to lean on the breakfast-bar facing him.

The look on his face said it all; she nodded and hung her head. "But we're not going to let them find you." He said.

She pushed herself off the granite counter-top. "We'll see about that." She said as the kettle began to whistle. In a tea-pot she put two tea-bags and then she poured the boiling water in it to let it steep for a couple of minutes. A moment later they were both sitting in silence sipping the tea; she was deep in her own thoughts. She frowned into her cup before she finished it; she got up and put it in the sink, promising herself she would wash them the following morning before she silently made her way back upstairs.

The next couple of days were painfully slow, Steve refused to let her go with Kono to the tournament so instead she was forced to watch it on T.V. with the six-foot-one form that was the source of her personal agony. As they watched Ian Adams catch a wave they saw Kono just behind him wearing a big smile, that smile died away when Ian suddenly fell into the water.

"Is he supposed to do that?" Jo asked.

"No." He said.

"Just making sure." She said as he got up. She got up too and grabbed her things as he did his.

He paused and turned to look at her, "What do you think you're doing?" He asked her.

"Going with you, boss." She said through gritted teeth.

"I don't think so," He said. "You stay here."

"Wouldn't it be safer if I went with you?" She countered.

"Nice try, when we need you I'll come and get you myself –" He grabbed her keys so she wouldn't be able to get out of the house before he left.

She let out an angry yell as she sat on the couch. Jo hated this, realizing that there was nothing she could do about it she got up and decided to do some chores. She tried to keep her frustration at bay as she grabbed laundry from about the house – one thing she was not very proud about was being messy. Despite the fact that her situation taught her she always had to be neat and have an emergency suitcase packed didn't stop her from throwing her clothes about in the oddest places.

Like the pair of shorts she found under the couch, she didn't wear shorts a lot and now obviously couldn't because of her new baby-sitter. As she worked she heard the door open and close, she quickly fumbled into her room as she threw an Abaya on and a Hijab before she silently grabbed her gun.

She could hear something below – whomever – or whatever it was… was heavy. She slowly crept along as she slowly unlocked her phone; she was ready to call Steve if she had to. She peered around the corner and saw a massive man who was bald – a man she recognized. She lowered her gun and stepped forward. "Kamekona?" She said.

The massive man turned around and looked up at her. "Howzit?" He said brightly.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She questioned.

"I'm here to babysit you." He smirked.

Her body began to shake in annoyance. "McGarrett." She grumbled. The moment she groaned that out her phone began to ring and she answered.

"Like the babysitter?" His voice mocked through the phone.

"What the hell did you do?" She said. "Why?"

He laughed through the phone, he was mocking her. "Kamekona is a good friend, I trust him." He said.

"I don't need to be protected!" She snapped.

"Yes, you do." He retorted.

"No, I don't." She said.

"When Badir comes knocking on your door – we'll talk." He said. "Sit tight and don't give him trouble –"

"Give _him_ trouble?" She asked. "He's already eating through my fridge!" She exclaimed as she pointed to Kamekona as he sifted through her kitchen.

"Just let him do whatever he wants!" He said with a laugh.

"That's not cool!" She said. "Dude, I can help on the case!"

"Look when we need you we know where to find you." He said.

"That's bogus!" She yelled through the phone. "You can't do this!"

"Uh, yes I can." He said.

"Bu –" She started but he hung up. She glared at the phone before she tossed it into her pocket. When she looked up again Kamekona was eating a sandwich. She leaned on the rail as she stared down at him. "So, I guess it's you and me." She said.

He grinned at her and nodded. "Good stuff." He said as he waved the sandwich. "Roast chicken."

"Mom's special recipe." She said with a quiet huff, she couldn't help but grin. He was amusing. "So…" She said slowly. "How long are we going to be stuck here?"

"Depends on the warden." He said.

She nodded. "Hey brah, you like movies?" She asked.

"Yeah, I like movies." He said.

She grinned. "You're at the right place, brah." She said as she walked down the steps.

"Alright." He said with a big grin.

The pair walked in to her library and they began to pull movies out.

As the day wore on the pair contented themselves with watching movies and eating whatever Jo had in her fridge and pantry. They were through watching some gory movie when her phone began to ring. She answered the phone. "Hassan." She said as she stared at the movie, a woman was shrieking in terror as a masked man stabbed her over and over again.

"What the hell is going on?" Steve's voice asked.

"Movie time with your good friend Kamekona." She replied coolly. "How can I help you?"

"Look, we're investigating the death of Ian Adams." He said.

"You don't say?" She said.

He huffed. "Jo now isn't the time for you to take that tone with me." He said. "Look, he was shot from the mountains… probably –"

"Did you check the mountains?" She asked as she got up and she walked out of the room.

"We checked the spot that has a clear shot of the Pipeline and at the angle of elevation of the bullet… It led us to a Samoan tribe…"

"But you've got nothing." She said with a nod.

"It is their hunting ground – we talked to some guys… nothing." He said.

She frowned. "Who are Adams' associates?" She asked.

"He had a business partner, Carlton Bass. We checked him out…"

"He seems clean." She said with a nod. "How's Kono?"

He paused and then he let out a sigh. "Not too good."

"And she wants to work the case." She added with a nod. She frowned. "Look, if you get me out – I can talk to Carlton… see… if he's hiding anything."

Steve sighed. "Jo, this… is a high-profile case – with cameras – you could be seen."

"Look, I don't really care – believe me… you need me."

"No." He said firmly.

She let out a groan. "Fine – look, if I were you I'd look in to Adams' will, look into anyone who could benefit from his death, family members – other partners… usually when it's a high profile death like this it's usually…"

"For the money." He said.

She hesitated a bit. "Look, look in to any one who might be of blood relation to Adams." She said. "And here I mean an illegitimate child – someone who found out who daddy is and might be a little upset that they don't get a share of the money, happens all the time – I've seen at least three cases like that over the course of the past couple of years."

"Alright, thanks." He said, and at that the line went dead.

"No problem." She muttered as she hung up.

She walked back to sit on the couch beside Kamekona who was hiding his face behind a pillow. She paused. "Really?" She pointed to the TV. "Really?"

"What? It's scary." He said.

She gave him a look.

"Don't tell me you're not afraid, Sis." He said.

She shifted with a shrug. "I fell asleep watching Insidious, brah." She said. His eyes widened. She laughed. "Want to watch Bambi again?" She asked.

"His mama dies." He said.

She didn't have the guts to say she was not fond of movies that had main characters that were animals. She shrugged. "Fine – we'll stop watching movies." She said. She shut the movie off and they sat in awkward silence. After a very long while of silence she looked up. "Do you knit?"

And that is exactly how Steve found them the next afternoon when he walked in to the house after the case, Jo was instructing Kamekona how to properly knit, whatever they were doing looked like a mess with Kamekona while Jo had a neat looking multicolored scarf.

Jo wanted to tear the yarn out of his hands but she patiently showed him what to do. They both looked up when they heard footfalls. Steve stood there looking bewildered, an amused Chin stood behind him. "What the hell are you doing?" He asked.

"Knitting." Jo said simply.

"It's very therapeutic." Kamekona said. "You should try it."

"We're in Hawaii." He said dryly.

"So?" She said.

"She has a point." Kamekona said.

"Thank you for your time, Kamekona." Steve said stiffly.

"Alright, I know when I'm not wanted." He put the knitting aside and then he gut up. "See you around." He said as he patted Jo's head as if she were a puppy before he left.

Steve eyed her as she shrugged. "What? I'm a likable person." She said. She then paused. "So, who did it?"

"Bass. Apparently his son… isn't his son."

"Ah, upset partner… Illegitimate child – who is supposed to be the son of the partner," She shook her head. "I love dramatic cases like that."

Chin chuckled. "You're crazy." He said before he walked off to check the parameter. She got up and began to gather the things as Steve grabbed her gun.

"Had a problem?" He asked as he waved the weapon about.

"Just that I heard noises only to find the massive man sifting through my kitchen like a raccoon." She replied. "You really think I'm not going to pull out my gun?" She stood straight. "Hell, I pulled it on you when I forgot you were staying here, you are not special buddy." She said as she walked out of the room, Chin walked in with a smirk on his face. She walked back into the room and dusted her hands off. "Can I have my gun back please?" She asked as she held out her hand.

He handed it to her and she holstered it at her hip under her Abaya. She then looked at him before she huffed. "Look, Kamekona – bless his heart – ate anything I could use to make dinner." She paused as she looked at Steve. "So, A) You call someone who has one hell of a Pizza – and Pineapple do not count as a topping. B) You… escort me… to a Supermarket to get things to cook… or C) We starve to death and Sam never forgives you." She put her hands on her hips.

He let out a groan and then held out his hand. "Give me the Yellow Pages." He said.

"I win!" She said. "Hey, why don't you call over Danny and Kono and we can all chill?" She asked.

"Sounds good." Chin said as he pulled out his phone.

Steve grumbled, the woman was manipulative – she thought she was clever, and she somehow always got her way.

He had a feeling she was going to be nothing but trouble in the future. Despite the fact night had fallen, by the time Danny and Kono had gotten there – Kono's face was somber, they were all content to eat. Jo had withdrawn into herself a bit as she watched them with a small grin. While they were drinking beer she was idly drinking a Dr. Pepper and listening to their conversation without really paying attention to them.

She looked at her watch and then she withdrew silently so that she could go pray. Kono was the first to notice that Jo was gone.

"Hey guys, where's Jo?" She asked.

Steve got up and his hand went to his gun. The others didn't know why he reacted so violently, Chin – on the other hand let out a sigh. "Calm down, brah, she probably went to the bathroom."

He exhaled when she appeared five minutes later. She resumed her spot and grinned. "Sorry, had to go pray before it got too late."

Steve sat down again and she saw how tense he looked. She gloomily let out a sigh as she continued to eat. When Kono and Danny left Jo retreated to sit on a couch in the Lanai so she could stare out at the beach, she knew going down to the sand would be impossible with her watchdog hovering in the background. She let out a sigh as she crossed her arms on the arm of the couch and she placed her chin on them. Steve sat on a chair facing her but she chose to ignore him.

She was being watched by one of the grumpiest men she had ever met – well… than again – Sam was pretty grumpy when she met him.

Maybe it was a SEAL thing.

Her mind often wandered to her dead cousin – rather… her murdered cousin. Spending the past two days with Kamekona who brought her much amusement was something else – and yet now that he was gone she remembered how things used to be when she was younger – when she wasn't running scared – when her cousin didn't want to kill her.

She let out a long sigh as she thought about that. She had to bring down the Cartel – one less Cartel in America… one less terrorist group, as it were. She would die trying to take them down if she had to. "I want to take down Badir." She said.

He shifted in his seat as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Why?"

"Because if I don't." She said. "I will always be living like this – with some big angry guy watching over me – and me always looking over my shoulder…" She frowned. "Moving around from one place to another – I'm sick of this," She whispered. "I'm sick of hiding, or running scared." She looked at him. "I want to do something good – I want to save myself – and save the country before this becomes big."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

She hesitated. "Look, I've been… conducting my own investigation on the Cartel… as best I could…" She got up and wrung her hands.

"How the hell…?"

"I don't have a man on the inside." She said. "I did… they shot him a while ago –" She hesitated. "You should probably see this."

He got up and followed her into a set of doors that were locked firmly, when she unlocked it with a key and a security code she opened the doors to reveal an office, there was a mahogany desk and shelves full of books, she walked to her desk and from it she pulled out some files. She held them out to him as he sat down in a chair, she watched as he looked at photos. "I have reason to believe that they have connection to Irish cartels, Cartels in Mexico – and a drug Lord in Cuba." She sat on her desk.

"And you didn't tell anyone because…?" He said.

"Are you kidding?" She said. "The moment this gets out – do you have any idea how hard it is to be Arab?" She gestured to the file. "Unfortunately these idiots are further ruining whatever reputation we're trying to preserve – first we were terrorists – and now slowly we're becoming drug traffickers, monsters – boogiemen you warn your children about." She let out a sigh. "I plan on taking down the Cartel, Steve – even if you don't think I should."

"No, you should." He said. She looked at him curiously as he looked up at her. "You're going to take these guys down…" He added. "And when the time comes – we are going to help you."

She almost couldn't believe her ears. "You do know Sam is going to be p-"

"Yeah well, you're a big girl." He said. "And you work for me… This is now our case." He grabbed the files. "Okay?"

She nodded; never in her life did she think someone would so willingly help her like that. She never believed she would find anyone at that. He pointed at her. "You're still under house-arrest until we're sure you're in the clear – when everything is fine – I expect you to keep your attention on our cases – taking down a Cartel doesn't happen in one night – not something as complex as this." He waved the folders.

She nodded. "Thanks, boss." She said.

He nodded and got up as they walked out of the room again, she looked the doors firmly again before she turned to him. "Is there anything else I should know?" He asked. "It's becoming apparent you like to keep secrets."

"No, I'm good." She said with a shrug. "I just… you've just got to believe in me." She watched as he began to walk off to join Chin.

He paused and looked up at her. "Do you believe in us?" The question felt stupid to ask, he thought. But she brought it up and he couldn't stop the question from coming.

She began to ascend the stairs and she paused with a nod. "Yeah, I believe in you guys." She said and then she looked up stairs before glancing at him. "I'm going to bed, good night." She said and then she went upstairs.

He nodded and went back to heading towards Chin.


	9. Guns Ablaze

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or the places mentioned, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

Note: I may be using some dialogue from the show, but the events won't be 100% like the Show (Hence... fanfiction)

* * *

Jo idly munched on some crackers as she watched Steve do push-ups. "Are those necessary?" She asked. He was using one arm to perform the push-ups.

"How do you keep fit?" He asked.

"Kick things." She lied. He glanced up at her with an amused look. "What?" She said. "I got to be this fit by punching things and running in to problems with guns ablaze." She shrugged as she shoved some more crackers into her mouth. "Can we do something today?" She asked.

"No." He said.

"But I'm bored!" She yelled as she got up, Misty hissed when she fell out of Jo's lap. "Dude, it's been days since Kamekona was here!"

It had been exactly four days since Kamekona was last there. Steve still had her on house arrest. "Not my fault."

"Not your fault?" She exclaimed. "I'm bored – you won't even let me surf! And here you are doing freaking push-ups!" She gestured to him. "I." She said. "Want. To. Go. OUT!"

"Okay." He said. "We'll go out."

She spluttered. "What?"

"We'll go out." He said. "What do you want to do?"

She didn't expect he'd agree, she shuffled as she shrugged. "… Can we go surfing?" She asked.

He studied her and then nodded. "Okay." He said. "Go grab your board."

She let out a happy cry and ran upstairs.

About half an hour later they were at a beach, she was wearing a wetsuit and a scarf tied around her head. She followed him as he carried a board, they dropped their things on a spot on the sand, the beach was relatively empty, but the surf was looking good so they both paddled out. It was still early in the morning when they went out – but by the time it was Eleven they had paused at their things for a drink when Steve's phone began to ring. "McGarrett." He said. He paused and then nodded. "Right, on my way."

"Our… _our_ way." She corrected.

"Yeah right." He said as they put his board in the back of his truck.

"Look, I'm not heading back now –so deal with it." She grabbed her bag and ran off to quickly change, moments later they were both changed and they headed off. "What's the situation?" She asked.

"A Hostage Situation in Pearl Harbor." He replied. "The guy is an Ex-SEAL."

"You knew him?" She asked.

"Not on my team." He said. "Apparently the guy was seen fleeing the scene of crime… his murdered wife – and now he's got some tourists as hostages on the U.S.S. Missouri ."

"Do you think he did it?" She asked. "Murder his wife, I mean?" She looked at him.

"He says he didn't do it –"

"But do you think he did it." She said.

He frowned and looked at her. "It's my job to prove if he did or didn't."

"Steve," She said. "Don't… get your hopes up – if this guy is guilty… it's only going to make you feel worse – believe me, I know."

He knew there was something she wasn't telling him, but he ignored it anyways and he nodded. "I know." He said.

It was not very long before they were at Pearl Harbor; Danny looked at them oddly as Jo hopped out of the truck. "What, you're together?" He asked.

"He picked me up." She lied smoothly.

"After you surfed?" Kono smirked.

"What do we have here?" Steve asked.

A woman approached them, Jo knew her as Laura Hills, Governor Jameson's assistant. "Commander McGarrett, Detective Williams, Detective Hassan. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances. Laura Hills. I recently took over as Governor Jamison's new Public Safety Liaison." She greeted them.

Jo looked at Danny who was staring at her with scrutiny. "What do you want?" She said.

He pointed at her. "You –" He pointed at Steve. "And Him, are hiding something."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, of course we are!" She said.

He spluttered. "W-What?"

She scoffed. "Everyone has something to hide, Danno – of course except me and my monkey."

"Now you're just quoting the Beatles." He said.

She grinned. "Good to know you're cultured – Danno."

"Okay, What do we got?" They heard Steve ask.

"Suspect on board is Special Warfare Operator Second Class Graham Wilson. SEAL Team Five." Laura replied.

"Wait, he's a SEAL?" Jo asked.

"Heavily decorated." Laura replied. "He's holed himself up inside with an unknown number of hostages."

"Any contact with him since he's boarded yet?" Steve asked.

"He told our negotiators he would start killing the hostages if we tried to move in on him." Laura replied with a frown.

"What about demands?" Jo asked having seen one too many hostage situations herself. "Has he made any yet?"

"Yes, Just one:" Laura nodded. "Find his wife's killer."

"Wait, you say this guy is accused of murdering his own wife?" Jo asked.

"Her name was Noreen Wilson. Graham's given us four hours to find her killer." Laura said.

"Would too much to hope that he gave us the name of the person who did it?" Danny asked.

"Any suspects?" Steve asked.

"Yes, him." Laura replied. "HPD found Graham at the crime scene, holding the murder weapon. When they confronted him, he ran.

"Well, that's not very helpful." Jo muttered.

"And he wants us to find the killer?" Danny asked.

"Right now my only concern is getting those hostages off that ship." Laura said as she addressed Steve. "Now usually, SWAT would handle something like this, but the governor seems to think that with your background as a SEAL, that you'd be better equipped to handle the situation."

"Him? What about us? We're here for what, entertainment, or what?" Danny asked.

"Actually, Governor Jameson was hoping Detective Hassan could accompany Commander McGarrett given her talent for being able to… understand people." Laura said.

"Well, that's just peachy." Danny said.

Jo was about to say yes but Steve put his hand up. "No, Detective Hassan will be assigned with my team to help find the killer," He said. "She'll only get in my way."

"You just did that on purpose." She said.

"Remember what we said about rushing in with guns ablaze?" Steve said.

She scowled. "Stop having a good memory."

"Tell the SWAT team to sit tight, because I go in alone." Steve added.

"Wait – what?" Both Jo and Danny demanded.

"Graham's a SEAL. He's been trained in close-quarter combat, which means right now he has the high ground. You send SWAT in blind, they're going to take heavy losses, and more than likely get multiple hostages killed. If this guy didn't kill his wife, he deserves at least a conversation before we go in guns blazing. If he did, and he's going to kill again, I'll take him out myself. But if you want my help today, you get it my way. I go in alone." He stared at them evenly. "Got it?"

"Okay, uh," Danny said as he ran his hands over his face before he gestured towards Steve. "Let's say I am you, and you are the bad guy here, okay?" He said. "I would know that all the ways onto this ship are visible somehow. So, how would you outsmart yourself and get yourself onto that ship, without yourself seeing... yourself?"

Jo thought that hardly made any sense. Steve blinked and looked down at Danny. "Okay, was that an actual attempt at a question, or are you just kind of throwing words at each other and hoping they make sense?"

Danny scowled "How you gonna get on the ship without Graham seeing you?"

"What about by sea?" Jo asked.

Steve looked at her. "You're right." He said. "He won't be expecting someone to come by sea – I am going swimming."

"You're going to go for a swim?" Danny asked with a sarcastic laugh. "Look at what you started." He told Jo who shrugged. Steve took his shirt off before he put it in a waterproof bag, "You're serious? And now you're shirtless. That's great. "He said. Jo knew that any other woman would have been very impressed with Steve, but she – on the other hand – had seen enough of him that morning.

"Believe it or not, I've done this before." Steve said.

"This, take of your shirt this – because I do not doubt that… or hostage situation this? Because I wouldn't doubt that either." Jo said as she leaned against Steve's truck. He did not look amused.

"You've done this before?" Danny said, his voice sounded like he thought Steve McGarrett was the most absurd man he had ever met, and in that moment Jo thought he was probably right. "You've-you've snuck onto a floating museum to rescue a bunch of tourists who are being held captive by a man who is accused of killing his wife?"

"Well, I didn't mean this literally." Steve said. "But look, I can't see any other way of stopping this thing from escalating. And we only have four hours."

Jo decided to stop arguing as she adjusted her Hijab a bit. "Alright…" She said with a huff. "What's your plan?" She asked.

"We're going to hold SWAT in position so Graham thinks we're still negotiating." Steve said as someone handed him a map of the USS Missouri, he studied it before shoving it into his pack. "In the meantime, I'll board, try to make contact while you investigate this murder. I have to gain his trust, get him to see that we're working on his behalf. So maybe I can get these people out safe, Graham included. But only if he feels like I actually understand him."

"Okay. That's great. What happens when I investigate this case and I find out he killed his wife- which he most certainly did. Then what?" Danny said.

"We just have to hope it doesn't come to that." Jo said simply. "And if it does – then he knows what he's dealing with –" They looked up as Chin joined them.

"Hey. HPD says neighbors reported hearing screams coming from Graham's house. Cops arrived; they found him with a knife in his hand. When they tried to arrest him, he fled the scene." He said.

"Of course he fled." Jo said dryly. "And that's not suspicious at all."

Chin gave her a look but ignored her. "They also found his seven-year-old daughter in the house, hiding under a couch. She hasn't talked since Child Welfare Services took her into custody."

"Maybe she saw something that freaked her out." Kono said with a nod. "Okay, I'm going to go see the kid, see if she knows anything, because, you know, I'm one of the two women on the team, you'd probably ask me to do it anyway because you need Jo."

"No, no, it's not because you're a woman. It's because you're a rookie, which is way worse." Chin said with a smirk.

Steve looked at Jo. "Jo, I need you to head to Wilson's house, get a feel of the place – and let me know what you think – I'm going to have my phone on me but don't call me, I'll call you, okay?" He told her.

"That's what all the guys say." She said. Chin chuckled as he leaned on the truck.

"I bet you've used that line before." Danny said.

Steve, on the other hand – did not look as amused. "After you've had a look around the house – I want you to head to HQ. I'll initiate contact once I'm in a secure location."

"That one too." Danny retorted.

"What? Can't call Kamekona to babysit me?" She said innocently.

Kono and Danny – who were clueless as to whatever was going on between their boss and the new girl – were a bit shocked at the exchange, just what the hell was going on? The banter was unusual and Jo was sure they were misreading it. Steve, on the other hand, smirked. "Kamekona can't handle you."

"I'm insulted." She said. "Fine, I'll do my job and obey."

"Chin, you're allowed to lock her up if she tries anything stupid." Steve said as they followed him to the edge of the dock. They watched him remove his shoes and put them into the bag as he pulled out goggles; he put them on his head and began to climb down.

"Hey," Jo said as she put her hands in her pockets, he paused and looked up at her curiously. "Be careful, I need someone to bully."

He put the goggles on and continued his descent. "Good luck, Aquaman!" Danny said.

Jo, against her better judgment, found herself worried – she clasped her hands behind her back when she realized she was starting to get attached, nothing good ever came from getting attached to the people you met while being in hiding. Furthermore, Steve was her boss – and the friend of one of her best friends, that too being a lapse of judgment. She frowned and shook her head as she followed Danny into the Camaro while Chin got onto his bike.

Being alone with Danny was another thing Jo knew nothing good would come of. The man was dying to ask her a billion questions, she silently waited for the verbal downpour – and she did not have to wait very long before he began the conversation.

"So, he picked you up." He said slowly.

"Yeah, jealous?" She asked absently as she stared out the window.

"What?" He said.

She shrugged. "The way you're acting – you're acting like someone who is jealous. I bet you're jealous because Steve is your partner – but his attention is on me." She looked at him. "It's okay, Danny – really –" He began to splutter. She stared out the window again and she fell silent.

Danny noticed that look. "He's going to be okay." He said.

"I'm not worried." She said.

"That's the face of someone who is, in fact, worried."

"I'm not allowed to be worried." She said simply.

The house was in an area that seemed to consist of identical looking houses – except for one that was a crime-scene. She got out of the car, her boots crunching gravel as she tucked an end of her shirt behind her badge like Kono and the others typically did. Chin and Danny followed her into the house as she began to look around, the woman had been moved but in her spot there was a large stain of blood. She looked around and began to study the place.

"Broken furniture, blood spatter on the walls... This was a hell of a struggle." Chin said from behind her as she began to rummage through drawers.

"Yeah, makes a lot of sense. Graham's a Navy SEAL, and his wife weighs a buck-oh-five, if that. That's what I'm saying. This should have been an easy kill. Why's it so sloppy?" Danny asked.

"Love and hate, right? Two sides of the same coin." Chin said simply.

"That's why they call it a crime of passion. You know, marital spat escalates, just like that, he snaps. He goes from heads to tails. First he just wants to make her suffer a little bit. Wife ends up dead." Danny said.

"How long were you married again?" Chin asked with an amused look.

"Just a theory…" Danny said.

Jo found a book, judging by the writing she could tell it was Russian.

"Hey, anyone know Russian?" Chin asked.

"No." Jo said as she glanced back at Chin and Danny. "Maybe it belonged to the victim?" She looked at a picture and turned it over. "Some more Russian over here."

Danny pulled out a key, it was small and it looked like it probably belonged to a locker or something of the sort.

"That's a Safety Deposit key." Chin said.

"All right. Let's get both of these checked out." Danny said to Chin.

They all paused when Danny's phone began to ring. Danny pulled it out and Jo reached for it, Danny pushed her away and she tried to scrabble for it, Chin rolled his eyes and grabbed it as he put it on speaker.

"Hey." Danny said as he pushed Jo away. "You, uh, with Graham yet?"

"Yeah, I got him." Steve replied, "And I got eyes on him. He's armed. He's holding seven hostages. Behavior's pretty erratic."

Jo frowned. "Oh, you mean as opposed to most hostage-takers that are calm and composed." Danny said.

"No, with his training, this scenario shouldn't bother him. But he's paranoid, he's unstable." Steve's voice said, he paused and then spoke again. "You know what, Jo check if he's been treated psychiatrically."

She nodded. "Right, he might have something like PTSD, right? I mean – they're prone to blacking out… doing things they wouldn't normally do…" She frowned. "On it."

She walked off and headed upstairs, a short while later Chin followed suit, "What is all of this?" He asked as he saw Jo sift through it. "Lithium, Clo-naza-pam…"

"Clonazepam," She said. "It's an antipsychotic, sometimes used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder." She shook the bottle. "I know because I was taking this because I was treated for PTSD once." She frowned. "They're all prescribed by a Dr. Klesko – but look… they were all prescribed three weeks ago – but they're all full." She put the bottle back into the shelf.

Danny had been standing in the doorway, "Okay, this is a really stupid question, but what happens if Graham stops taking his medicine?" He asked.

Jo looked at him. "Typical PTSD," She said. "His blackouts might become more violent – he does have a bunch of hostages now." Jo said. "How about you talk to the doctor?" She asked Danny.

"What about you?" He asked.

"Something doesn't feel right about Noreen Wilson." She said as she shut the door to the medicine cabinet. "Russian writing?" She shook her head. "Even to me that's a bit suspicious."

"What are you thinking?" Danny asked.

"… New life?" She shrugged. "Maybe Noreen isn't her birth name."

Chin nodded. "That's possible." He said. "I'll take you back to HQ, Danny –"

"On it." He said as he left.

Jo and Chin left and about ten minutes later she saw in HQ as she worked at the table trying to figure out who on earth Noreen Wilson was. She typed avidly on the screen as she began to look back into this woman's past; however the name Noreen Wilson only got her so far.

As she worked her phone began to ring, she answered and put it on speaker. "Hassan." She said.

"Hey, Jo," Danny said.

"What do you have?" She asked as she leaned on the table to stare at the screen.

"Apparently Graham was being treated for PTSD." He said.

"What happened?" She asked.

"The Doctor told me that his team had walked into an ambush in Ba'Quabah, Iraq. In the crossfire were a group of children and none of them survived. The trauma took a huge psychological toll: mood swings, violent outbursts. It escalated to the point the MPs were called to his house for a domestic disturbance." He said. "It was then they diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress disorder."

"That is usually how it goes." She said as she frowned. "Anything else?"

"Uh, yeah – apparently they were making progress, and –uh - was showing real signs of improvement. And then he had a setback."

"Setback?" She asked, although she had a feeling about what Danny was about to say next.

"He became convinced that the drugs were clouding his judgment, so he started skipping doses, and that only made his paranoia worse. It got to the point that he started experiencing blackouts."

She nodded. "Yeah, PTSD patients can slip into a dissociative fugue state. It happens when they get agitated or perceive a threat. They can become enraged, sometimes violent, and when it's over, they have no recollection of what happened. It is highly possible Graham killed Noreen without even realizing it." She said.

"That's exactly how the doc put it." Danny said. "What do you think?"

"Well, as for the drugs clouding his judgment…" She let out a sigh. "Once, when I was younger a cousin had a bought of Schizophrenia, it was a really dark time for my family – anyways, they had him on Clozaril, Side-Effects included drowsiness so my grandfather had him off the drugs she he could help him heal through spirituality." She let out a long drawn out sigh. "If I didn't know better, I would have thought my grandfather was of the Sufi faith – but anyways he's better now."

"What does this have to do with Graham?" Danny asked dryly.

"I'm saying, if he took himself off the drugs – it makes sense." She retorted.

"Alright, so he takes himself off the drugs – and has angry blackouts… anything on Noreen?"

"Nothing yet." She replied. "Noreen Wilson sort of stops at about five years ago…" She hesitated. "Any news from Steve?"

"We lost contact with him." Danny said. "Okay, I want you to run a check on Graham Wilson, see what happened for him to meet up with Noreen." He paused; she could imagine him waving his hand in thought. "See if you can find her before those five years."

"Sure, will do." She said. "Keep me posted with what happens to Steve, okay?" She asked.

Danny paused, and she knew he was probably smirking. "You worried?"

She let out a sigh. "Yeah, I am." She said.

"Oh well, I'll keep you posted." He said.

She hung up and began to search up Graham. Kono walked in. Both Jo and Chin looked up. "What's going on?"

"Lily Wilson's just been kidnapped." She said as she ran a hand through her hair.

"What?" Jo said.

"I swear I just looked away –" She started to freak out.

"Hey, it happens!" Jo said. "We're going to find this girl –" She promised. "Did you –"

"I put out an APB for the car." She confirmed. "Uh… HPD is setting up Checkpoints."

"What do you have on Graham?" Chin asked Jo.

"Apparently about six and a half months ago he met a woman working in Ramstein, Germany – he was on leave – three months later they were married… according to the transcript that I just got from your intel I gather she's originally Russian." She paused. "Her name was Irina, it's her journal – she mostly talks about her life, apparently she was married to a banker and by the looks of it, it seemed to be pretty brutal with multiple accounts of domestic violence. I will not be able to identify him until I have a proper identification on Irina." She looked up at Chin.

"They key," Chin said. "I found out it belongs to a Safety Deposit box in the First Hawaiian Bank – I'm having them deliver the contents right now."

They did not have to wait too long before the contents were handed to them, Jo saw it was a passport. "Irina Tarasovain, born in St. Petersburg, Russia, 1979 –" She pointed to the Passport. "Let me see what I can do with that." She began to type away. "Any news from the Boss?" She questioned.

"He was with Graham." He said. "He's trying to figure a way out."

"Okay, I got a hit on Irina's first Husband – he was… is a Yegor Chubais." She said slowly. "Vice president of Donvaya Bank in Switzerland."

Chin frowned. "Says here he filed a report saying his wife and newborn child went missing on a trip abroad."

"That's probably when she ran away." Jo mused.

"That's him." Kono said.

"What?" The asked.

"That's the guy that kidnapped Lily."

They looked up as Danny breezed in and they quickly told him everything that happened – and everything they had found, he listened intently before they found out that Chubais had – in fact – entered Hawaii three days ago. He has a flight chartered to Moscow in an hour."

"You guys tell the Boss." She said.

Danny looked at her, "You have a crazy look in your eye – why do you have a crazy look in your eye?"

"Would you tell HPD to get to the airport?" She asked. "Who wants to go with?"

Chin and Kono looked at each other.

"And how do you plan on getting there?" Danny said.

"Can I have your car?" She asked.

"No." He said. "You will not take… you will not take my car!"

"Come on." She said. "Let me take the car… I'm an awesome driver."

He eyed her. "Fine – take the car – but I'm going with you." He said.

"I can drive?" She asked.

He handed her the keys and followed her as they ran out. Chin and Kono followed.

Danny settled in the passenger seat as she started the car, "Take it easy." He said.

She snorted as she gripped the wheel; she put her foot on the gas pedal and sped off, Danny let out a 'WHOA!' as he gripped the seat and the door as she zoomed down the street headed towards the Airport. Danny kept yelling at her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What the hell is wrong with you?!" He yelled at her.

"We don't have time – so shut up, Danno." She said as she focused on the road. "I need to focus."

His knuckles turned white as her speed only increased as she stared ahead. If they didn't hurry a little girl will be taken against her will to Russia with a man who was her biological father, and he was also a murderer. Jo glanced up in the mirror and saw HPD right behind them. She pulled in to the Airport as they saw an airplane on the tarmac. Danny was ready to get out but she continued to speed and the wheel's screeched as she made a sharp turn.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" He yelled at her.

"Stop distracting me." She said as she stopped the car.

"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!" He yelled again.

"Stop yelling at me." She said calmly. "The plane is going to stop."

"How are you so sure? What? What? You've done this before?!" He yelled at her.

As expected the plane stopped, she leaned on the wheel and watched as Danny, Chin, and Kono dealt with the man, Kono ran up the stairs to get to Lily.

She stepped out and leaned against the car as Danny walked over to her, he pointed at her. "You… are insane." He said. "Are you sure you don't know Steve?"

She shrugged. "I've been around a SEAL for a while – but not Steve." She said.

Danny put his hands on his hips and stared at the ground for a while before he looked up at her and sucked his teeth. "Good job." He said as he nodded to her.

"Thanks." She said with a grin.

That evening, Jo sat staring out at the ocean as she sat on a lawn-chair. "Hey." A voice said from behind. She turned her head and saw Steve.

"Guns ablaze – we need T-Shirts made!" She said as he pulled a chair to sit beside her.

"There should be some sort of club." He agreed.

She nodded and crossed her legs, "Yes there should… just don't tell Sam."

He chuckled and stared ahead. "Chin and Danny told me how you did today." He informed her. "Good job."

She shrugged. "Expect nothing less than the best." She said. "Even from yourself, that's sort of what kept me working all these years."

"A good motto to live by." He said.

"I suppose it is." She smiled gently. She looked at him. "I'm glad you're okay." She said honestly.

"So you were worried." He said with a smirk.

She laughed quietly. "Yeah, don't push your luck." She said. "It is a pleasure working for the Five-0." She looked at him. "And I'd appreciate it – if you didn't force me to stay at home and take a back-seat, because I love knowing that I'm doing something… well… doing something good."

He nodded. "Noted, fine – I'll allow you to work again." He said.

"Thank you." She said as she stared back at the ocean.

She had a feeling things were going to get better.


	10. Surveillance

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or the places mentioned, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

* * *

Jo liked having the house to herself again, but that didn't mean that Steve was not prone to popping in unannounced, she made him repay her by taking her surfing. He was currently watching her as she moved around the kitchen; Danny sat beside him while Kono poked around to look at the movies. She found that their new weekend habit was to force her to cook dinner for them. "So you get Gracie this weekend?" She asked as she fried some onions. Grace was with Kono as they picked out movies which was why Jo asked Danny that question in particular.

"Yes indeed." Danny replied.

She nodded and pushed up her sleeves as she paused to reach for her stone mortar, she then handed it to Steve. "You brought this upon me, the least you can do it crush the garlic."

He got up and walked around the breakfast bar to step into the kitchen and obey. She nodded her approval before she began to do something else.

"Any plans for the weekend?" Kono asked as she appeared with Gracie in tow.

"Nothing really." She replied. "I would knit… but…" She trailed off. "So I'm probably going to spend it watching movies…?"

"You are so boring." Danny said as he made his daughter giggle.

"Don't hate." She said. "Unless someone goes surfing with me…" She batted her eyes at Steve and then Kono who both smirked.

"I've got plans." Steve said.

"Sorry Sistah." Kono said with a shrug.

"Ah well, there goes my weekend." She said with a shrug. "I guess I'll just feed my cat."

"Geez, don't you have a boyfriend or something?" Danny said. "Or are you… uh – turning into one of those crazy cat ladies?"

"I'm just more fun than you will ever be." She said with a shrug. "Right Gracie?" She asked the girl. "I'm more fun than Danno?"

He narrowed his eyes at her and she grinned.

"Alright kids, stop arguing." Steve said.

After dinner they remained as they helped her clean up and then they prepared to leave, Danny and Grace – on the other hand – had to leave because it was Grace's bed-time soon.

"If you need anything, give me a call." Steve said. "And if you can't call – SOS." He said when Kono was out of ear-shot.

"I'll be fine, boss." She said as she waved him off. "Go."

Kono gave her a hug before she followed. Jo locked the door behind them and took her Hijab off with a happy sigh before she began to prepare for bed. She grabbed Misty around the middle and put her on the kitty bed she had tucked away in a corner before she filled a glass with water and then she shut off all the lights.

She slowly walked upstairs and went into her room, after changing into a loose pair of pants and a black tank-top she pulled her hair into a sloppy bun before she put on her prayer clothes to pray. Once she was done she downed the glass of water and slid under her cool covers before she curled up on her side. It was still 10 P.M. but she found she preferred to sleep early most days.

Slowly she drifted off into sleep.

At around 1 A.M she shot out of her slumber, panic gripping her chest and she didn't know why. She froze and heard something fall downstairs.

It was probably Misty moving around. But it felt like something was going on. She quickly grabbed her gun and threw on a robe and shawl about her head. She quietly cocked the gun and moved to her door; quietly she opened it and blearily looked around, adrenaline slowly waking her up as she went on.

She peered around a corner; she couldn't see anyone moving around. She slowly crept down the stairs and then she saw Misty meowing on the Breakfast bar.

She relaxed. "Ehh, stupid cat – you freaked me out." She said gently as she put the gun down. She made to sit on the stool not before she grabbed her gun and turned around, she was about to shoot but the intruder grabbed her hand and twisted it painfully, she heard something pop in her shoulder and she let out a cry, the gun flew to the ground and it went off with a bang, the bullet went into a tall vase that shattered upon impact. She couldn't see the face of her attacker but she brought her leg up to kick whoever it was in the head, the person caught her leg and sent her falling to the ground, she had to do a quick assessment of what hurt and found the blinding pain in her shoulder meant he had dislocated it. She grabbed a stool with her good hand and tried to hit the attacker with it but he dodged, snatched it out of her hand, and sent it flying through a window.

She let out a yell as she jumped up and tried to punch with her good arm, he grabbed her by the back of her head, she smashed her head forward and he let out a cry as he sent a punch to her face, she dodged and went barreling into him, they both flew into her glass coffee table, shattering it into hundreds of pieces, he kicked her off him and sent her flying into her TV, she winced when it fell after her bad shoulder smashed in to it, the glass broke and the TV was ruined. She grabbed the closest thing she could find, a heavy book and she threw it at her assailant. It hit him in the face and he stumbled back, she made to run out of the house as she scrambled for the door, he grabbed her by the back of her Hijab and threw her onto the ground, she was about to get up but he punched her in the back of her head. The last thing she could recall before she blacked out was the assailant sneer: "Consider that a Warning."

The following day Steve, Kono, Danny, and Chin were at HQ working on a case, a former HPD partner of Danny had been found murdered in a Pig Pit and now they were trying to figure out why he was there with his badge in his mouth, Steve was wondering why one person from their team was missing.

He looked down at his phone as he made to call Jo. Danny paused from his work as he looked up at his boss while Kono and Chin went to do their tasks. "Everything okay?" He said.

"Jo's late." Steve said. "She isn't answering her cell."

"Did you try a landline?" Danny asked.

"She doesn't have a landline." Steve said.

"Look, I'm sure she's fine." Danny said. "Probably went to the beach or something, I don't blame her." He shrugged. "Lighten up."

Steve knew they couldn't 'lighten up' when it came to Jo, if anything went wrong… _anything_ it would be on Steve. He hesitated. "Look, I've got to do something – I'll be back in a bit." He said.

Danny frowned. "What, is this about Jo? Uh, is something going on that… that I don't know?" He asked.

"What are you implying?" Steve asked.

"What do you think I'm implying? Why the sudden interest?" Danny said.

"None of your business." He said and then he left.

"Oh, well… that sure does explain a lot!" Danny called after him.

Steve knew Jo, he knew she slept early to wake up early and go swim early in the morning, he knew she was always at the ready if ever there was a case. She always answered her phone – despite the fact she hated carrying cell-phones – and she always called back if she missed a call.

The first time he called was at 8 a.m.

The second time he called was at 8:30.

It was currently 11 a.m. and he was starting to get worried. The drive to her house was not a very long one, when he pulled up into the driveway something instantly felt… off. He got out of the car and walked to the front door, the door was open – it didn't look like someone had broken in, though.

He pushed it open and his eyes beheld a mess that was unlike Jo, and there was a pool of blood around a prostrate body on the ground. "Jo." He said and ran over to her. Her face looked bruised, her lip was busted and her shoulder looked weird. "Jo – hey – Jo – wake up." He said as he patted her cheek. She did not stir, he was worried that she had lost all of that blood, he reached under his Hijab to touch her neck, she had a pulse and it was fine. He pulled out his phone and dialed dispatch. Within moments a team of paramedics appeared at the front door with an ambulance, he then called Danny who drove over. When he walked in to the house he let out a whistle, his eyes widened when he saw them carry off Jo.

"What happened here?"

"She's got a concussion." A paramedic informed Steve. "A dislocated shoulder, and a couple of bruises and bumps here and there – she'll be fine – but we should look after her just to be sure."

"And the blood?" Steve asked.

"Oh, that seems to belong to her cat –" She pointed at the bloody mass that used to be Misty. Steve grimaced. Jo would not be happy about that.

"What the hell happened here?" Danny asked.

"I would say Jo was assaulted last night." Steve said simply.

"You say it so easily!" He said. "Look at this place –"

"She put up one hell of a fight." Steve looked impressed.

Danny let out a sigh. "Don't have children." He said.

Steve looked at him. "What?" He said.

"Your lack of concern is unsettling – do the world a favor and don't have children." Danny said.

"Look, why don't you go ask the neighbors if they heard anything suspicious last night, alright?" Steve said.

Danny nodded and walked off. Steve looked around the house and saw her gun on the floor, he frowned and picked it up after he put on some black gloves; he then saw the shattered vase. He walked over to it and in the wall behind where it used to stand was the bullet.

Just what the hell had happened there?

Jo groaned when she stirred, her arm was in a sling and her head was throbbing painfully. She frowned and saw she was in an emergency room, not a hospital room, just a temporary area. That meant whatever happened to her was not severe. She wanted to sit up but the slightest movement made her vision swim. "Ugh."

"Where's the fire?" Chin said as he walked in.

She grinned. "Can I please leave?" She asked.

"I was just about to see if you were up. You can leave." He said. "What the hell happened?" He asked.

"I was assaulted." She said dryly. "What do you think happened?"

"Jo, this is serious." He said. "You're lucky McGarrett is busy on a case – do you think he'd be this nice?" He asked.

She got off the bed and let out a sigh. "I don't know what happened…" She said honestly. "All I know is that the jerk said it was a warning." She realized her clothes were covered in blood, and Chin had a bag with him.

He pushed it foreword. "Clothes for you. Get changed so we can head out." He said.

She nodded and grabbed it as she watched him leave. She opened the bag and saw a pair of her loose-fitting jeans and a plain grey Henley as well as a white Hijab. When she put those on, mindful of her arm, she put her bloodied clothes in the bag and then she walked out after slipping her feet into some flip-flops. When they walked out of the hospital he handed Jo her gun and badge, she put them at her hip and threw the bag into the back of the truck. Chin was driving Steve's truck.

"What was all that blood from?" She asked as she got in.

"Your cat." He informed her.

She huffed. "This is why I can't have nice things." She said with a frown. Chin cast her an amused look. "Look," She said simply. "You don't need to look or be so worried… I'm fine."

"McGarrett's moved you into his place." He said.

"Are you serious?!" She said loudly.

"Your position has been compromised," Chin said. "For some reason he's not too keen on you getting moved to another country."

She frowned and turned her gaze to stare out the window. Why was Steve bothering himself so much with her? Any other person would have let Sam taken care of everything.

She knew it wasn't because he wanted to, there had to be something he wanted.

She let out a quiet sigh and let Chin drive them to HQ.

Inside Steve looked up from the table as Jo walked in, rather – she limped in but she held herself proudly despite the bruises on her face and the arm that was in a sling. "I thought I told you to take her to my place." Steve said.

"I had a feeling she wouldn't have liked that very much." Steve said.

"Can we please talk?" She said.

"No, go to my place." He said.

"You said I could work!" She yelled at him drawing Kono's attention. "You said I would be an asset to the team! Stop floundering."

"I said that before you got assaulted." He said as he walked over to her, his voice was dangerously low, she knew if she argued further she would be in trouble. "Right now the only thing I expect you to do is go to my place… and stay there." He stared her down. "Understood?"

"Yes, sir." She sneered and turned on her heel.

Chin gave Steve a look and Steve didn't look apologetic. He nodded and then walked off after the upset woman.

She was silent the whole time; Chin's mind was on the case they were working on – which they had conveniently not told Jo about. "Hey, that's just McGarrett's way of saying he was worried." He said.

"Does he really think it matters if I'm moved from one house to the other?" She snapped.

"His house's location isn't as… out in the open as yours was – if he thinks you'll be safer there… you probably will be."

She huffed and said nothing the rest of the drive. When he dropped her off she thanked him. "I know you guys are probably working on something, sorry for making you drive around a lot."

"Hey, no worries." He said with a grin. "Take care of yourself."

"Yeah, you know me – no one takes better care of themselves than I do." She said with a smirk.

Chin grinned and then waved to her as he drove off. She looked down at the keys that Chin had handed to her before she walked up to the house. She unlocked the door and walked in.

In a way it felt odd, it was not her just walking in to a house, but a place that was a good portion of Steve's life. She had been desperately trying to not get attached to anyone because she knew how short-lived her stints were, but now that she was there it felt like she had been forced into something she didn't belong in.

When she first walked in to her left there was a Living Room, and to her right there was a staircase. In the Living Room she saw very few picture frames, she walked over and picked one up, in the picture there stood two children with a woman; she assumed the girl in the picture was Steve's sister, Mary. She placed it down again and then she ventured through the house just to familiarize with it.

The house showed that someone lived there – it was full of memorabilia here and there, unlike every house she had been in since her father was killed – it was a home… It was full with life, and it was warm. She frowned and went back to the living room. She sat down on the couch and just sat there.

She didn't know how long she sat there before she walked out of the house and went to sit on the beach in one of the lawn chairs that has been set on the beach.

Steve decided to push the whole incident with Jo out of his mind so he could focus on proving Meka innocent, Danny was very invested in the case and Steve couldn't say he blamed him all that much. He knew Jo would be annoyed with him for the next couple of days, especially since he had ordered she stay in his house – but to be honest it was better for him to do so – she was under his protection and it would make his job so much easier if he could keep tabs on her 24/7. Surveillance cameras didn't really cut it.

Danny and Kono were starting to suspect something was up with their new team-mate and friend, when they heard Steve tell Chin that she was to move to his home Kono was silent – while Danny began to protest loudly about how ridiculous he was being; that she was a big girl who could take care of herself. Eventually, Steve realized, they would have to tell them what was going on, he thought it was best if Jo broke the news to them; it was her story to tell anyways.

To say he was worried that Badir had found her was an understatement, in truth he knew the moment they did they would probably have a drug-war on their hands; he doubted that Badir entering Hawaii would sit well with the Yakuza.

And now this case had something to do with the Ochoa Cartel. He honestly thought that Meka might have been someone to do with a Leak in the HPD, but Danny was just so… convicted that it wasn't him. He drummed his fingers on the frame as he stared at the screen; his mind was on Sang Min and how he thought they probably needed to pay a visit to Halawa Correctional, he wasn't very excited about that but it was something that needed be done.

"Sang Min should've told us where Hoffa was!" Danny was saying. "Hey, hey – are you even listening to me? Hello!" He said loudly to catch Steve's attention. "We grilled the guy for 72 hours! We offered him plea bargains! Now he's doing life, he's gonna answer the same question? What are we gonna do, say 'pretty please'?"

Sometimes Danny talked too much, Steve mused as he pushed himself up. "Well, you don't think it's worth a trip to find out?" He asked.

"Our job is to go after the suspect, not the victim!" Danny said and Steve could sense a rant coming on. "Not the previously convicted, the suspect, Ochoa! He deals drugs, and he's dangerous!"

"That's what I'm gonna focus on, okay?" He said, trying to appease and shut his partner up at the same time.

"I'm so glad you're not a hothead. I would hate to work with someone like that." Was the sarcastic remark.

Chin walked in carrying a file. "Your detective friend Kaleo wasn't kidding… the Ochoa Cartel doesn't fool around. This is a car bomb that exploded on the steps of a courthouse in Juarez. This is a cop burned in a roll of rubber tires in Oaxaca. These _federales_ were the first to be found with their badges in their mouths."

"Like Meka." Danny said.

Steve dialed his phone and Kono answered, she was still out of HQ. "Kono; did you get anything off Meka's laptop from the house?" He asked her.

"No, the hard drive was wiped clean. But I'm running a sweep on it for deleted files. According to the DEA, one of the family's top lieutenants, a guy by the name of Emilio Ochoa, is the one responsible for the hits. So if he's here..."

"I want him." Steve said.

" The question is, how do we get to him." Chin asked.

"Through his product… we find Ochoa's distributor on this island, that's how we get to him. We're looking for a new player on the coke market… you know who we got to see." Chin said simply.

They all thought the same thing, Kamekona.

Chin, Steve, and Danny left together to head out to Kamekona's. Danny let out a sigh as he rubbed at his eyes with his finger-tips. "How's Jo?" He asked before he looked at Steve.

"Bruised but otherwise fine." He said curtly.

"You know, when you keep a secret it usually comes out in a very ugly way." Danny said.

"Who said I'm keeping a secret?" He asked. Chin was on his bike behind them, but he could almost hear what Chin would say if he were there.

"Please, Jo? You moving her into your house? That screams suspicious." Danny said.

"I have nothing to hide." Steve said. "And if I did – it isn't my secret to tell."

"So you admit to keeping a secret!" Danny said. Steve remained resolutely silent. Danny nodded. "I see how it is."

"You do." Steve said. He wasn't asking him, he was sarcastically stating how Danny knew what was going on.

"And I've got to say, I don't really blame you…" Danny said. "I mean, she's – uh, she's a sweet girl, you know? And you two are simply a match made in hell."

"What?" Steve said.

"You do realize her parents might hunt you down?" He stated.

"That is the most prejudice thing you have said since… forever." Steve said. "Why would you assume her family would do anything… why would you even assume something like that is going on… and why would you assume that we were a match made in hell? Do you know what assuming does, Danny?"

Danny had a look on his face. "No, what does it do?" He said snidely.

"Well –"

"Huh, what does it do?" Danny said.

Steve rolled his eyes and focused on his driving. It wasn't a far distance to Kamekona's but at the moment it felt like it was a long drive, he was not at his shop – but rather he pushed a cart in the street. When they stopped Danny pointed ay him. "This conversation isn't over."

The trio walked over to the large man. "Hey, Kamekona!"

"Howzit, Chin? Good to see you." He greeted and then looked over Chin's shoulder to peer at Steve and Danny. "And my two favorite overdressed white boys. Howzit, bruthas?" He grinned. "Where's the new Haole in town? She nice."

Steve put his hands on his hips. "She's not working today."

Chin looked at the cart and grinned. "Oh, brah, this cart is da kine!"

"It's the future kine." Kamekona said with a bright smile. "This is what the tycoon's refer to as... a franchise! No more brick, no more mortar- that's old school."

Steve shifted a bit before he spoke up, "Well, we were wondering if you had a line on a different kind of distribution franchise coming into Oahu." He said.

"Yeah. Uh, we're not talking about shave ice… more like snow." Danny added. When he saw that Kamekona was hesitant he let out a sigh. "Okay, let me guess, uh, let's have three snow cones and a... couple oversized T-shirts. How about that? Help you with your franchise."

"It's not about the funds, brah." Kamekona said, he looked very uncomfortable. "This is dangerous territory we're treading into. A brutha could get hurt, you know?"

"Somebody already did get hurt, and he was a friend of mine, you understand?" Danny said.

Chin stepped forward. Hey, how about a little _kokua_, brah?" He said when he realized there was a lot of tension from Danny. "We could sure use the name of the new connect in town."

"You guys like modern art?" Kamekona asked.

"What?" Steve asked.

Kamekona began to explain how they would find the connection in an art Exhibit.

Back at the McGarrett house Jo was now single handedly fixing herself a cup of tea. She hummed quietly to herself as she sniffed the mug and made sure it didn't previously hold Alcohol – not that she could sniff it if she tried. Once she poured the tea into the mug she heard the front door open and close, she stared ahead as Steve walked in, he frowned when he saw her. "Hello." She said.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Drinking tea, what are you doing?" She asked. Her tone conveyed just how annoyed she was at him, and he realized he she had every right to be so.

"We're going to an art gallery." He said.

"Oh, can I go?" She asked.

He hesitated. "No."

"What?!" She yelled. "First – you tell me to sit back from a case – then I'm cooped up in your house – which… by the way… smells like old man. Now I can't go to an art gallery!"

"It's a part of the case." He said.

Her face fell. "Oh." She said as her shoulders slumped.

He sat across from her and stared at her for a long while, she frowned. "What?"

"What happened last night?" He asked seriously.

She huffed. "I went to bed." She said quietly. "At around 1… I woke up… Went downstairs with my gun… I thought it was Misty… I was attacked from behind; when I tried to shook he disarmed me… The gun fell – discharged into the vase… and a fist-fight ensued. I was shoved into the glass table, the TV, and the ground… The guy was about 6 feet, broad build, his face was covered – his voice was deep, and his accent Mediterranean… Maybe Arabian… I'm not sure." She hesitated. "He called it a warning… Steve, do you think Badir…?"

"Do you think it was Badir?" He asked her.

She shrugged. "If it were Badir, I'd be dead… but he said warning…" She trailed off.

"Badir is associated with other cartels," He said. "I wouldn't be surprised if some other cartel isn't too happy about whom you're currently working with."

"… True." She said with a nod. She paused and got up. "Steve, are you dealing with a Cartel?" He moved out of the room. She followed him while she limped slightly. "Steve! McGarrett, stop!" She yelled at him.

He paused and turned to look down at her, her bruised face was contorted in some emotion he didn't want to decipher. "We're dealing with the Ochoa cartel." He said. "Or we think – Another reason for you to sit back."

The Ochoa Cartel was one of the cartels that was known to associate with her cousin. She frowned as she took a step back. "You're going to take them down?"

"We think they've moved in to Hawaii." He said. "By the –"

"Let me guess, you found a cop that had been burned with his badge in his mouth." She said slowly.

"Yeah." He nodded.

She leaned against the wall as she looked at him evenly. "And you guys are going to just waltz in." She said slowly. "Let me go."

"Someone might recognize you." He said.

She frowned and looked down at her feet. "Why am I here?" She asked.

"I need a better way to babysit you." He said dryly. "Stay here." He ordered.

"Whatever." She said as she walked off.

She grabbed her mug and she took it into the kitchen so she could wash it out, she couldn't explain why she was so upset, or why she was worried. Her mind was on the Ochoa cartel, had the Badir cartel gotten in to work with them? Was it time for her to run again?

She slammed the mug down angrily and she stared out the window to the ocean. She didn't want to move again.

"You aren't moving again, not on my watch." Steve's voice said.

"What would it matter to you anyways?" She asked stonily. "I'm just a case you have to watch."

Steve moved to stand beside her. "Hey, I told you I'd have your back." He said.

She snorted silently and ran her hand on the rim of the mug. "You guys… just be careful out there…" She said quietly.

"When are we never?" He asked.

"I don't want to answer that." She said. "Because I'm just as bad as you are."

He nodded his agreement. "I'm going to call Kamekona to watch you –"

"You don't need to call him every time you decide to be an idiot." She retorted.

"After what happened last night, I obviously do." He said dryly.

"I was caught off-guard." She snapped.

He walked away. "That doesn't stop the fact that I was asked to look after you."

She scowled and washed the cup before she went to keep herself occupied.

It was nighttime when the doorbell rang, she looked up from her book when Danny walked in; he paused as she waved. "Hello Danno." She said. "Big date?" She asked when she saw he was wearing a nice suit.

He scowled. "Where's Steve?"

She let out a sigh as she put her book down and she got up, she stood at the foot of the stairs and cupped a hand around her mouth. "HEY GRUMPY! YOUR BOYFRIEND IS HERE!" She yelled out at the top of her lungs.

"What did I tell you about doing that?" Steve grumbled as he stomped down the stairs. She shrugged and flopped down on the couch again. She wouldn't admit it out loud but she actually thought he looked good – they both did, but she would never voice it out loud.

"You said not to lie." She said in a bored tone. "But I wasn't lying, unless you get yourself a girl – I'm going to keep saying it." She turned a page. "Don't look at me like that." She said.

Steve had an incredulous look on his face, he shook his head and they made way when Kamekona walked in. "Howzit bruthas? Lil' Sistah?"

She waved her hand. "Hello!"

Steve stared at the pair before he nodded to Danny and together they left.

The pair sat silently in Danny's Camaro as they drove off, Kono and Chin followed. Danny was silent but he wanted to ask Steve about what had transpired just moments ago.

Once at the gallery they seamlessly walked in and integrated themselves into the crowd. Steve stared at one particular painting and then he squinted at the plaque beside it. "So, this is the _'The Apocalypse of Eden Through the Eyes of a Misanthropic Diet_ –'" He paused as he spoke the last word. "Deity or diety?"

"I don't know…" Danny shrugged.

"It's appropriately named." Steve said, but the sarcasm in his tone could not be hidden or denied.

"You know," Danny started. "Grace used to do stuff like this when she was in kindergarten."

"Maybe she has a future in art." Steve smirked.

"Yeah, I was hoping she'd move past finger painting on to bigger and better things." Danny remarked. They continued to stare at the painting which was nothing more than a line going down the canvas. He cleared his through. "So, uh, Jo." He said.

Steve shoved his hands in to his pockets. "What about her?" He asked.

"You sure nothing is going on?" He said slowly.

"Why would anything be going on?" He asked. "And what exactly did you mean 'Match Made in Hell'?" He retorted.

To say that he didn't contemplate that while he was getting ready was a lie. Danny rolled his eyes. "Do I really have to spell it out to you?" He said.

"Yes, please, do so – because I don't get what you mean." Steve retorted.

"You both jump in to impossible situations like animals without second thought." He said. "And I'm fairly convinced that it's going to take a silver bullet to your hearts to kill you both."

Steve scoffed and shook his head. "Get that stupid idea out of your head." He said.

"Stu… Stupid?" Danny said. "Stupid – right… remind me again why she's staying at your place?" He said sarcastically.

"I never told you why she was staying at my place." Steve said simply. "And I don't have to tell you our reasons."

Danny let out a frustrated sigh. "And that is not suspicious at all." He said.

"Would you mind keeping your attention on this, please?" Steve said in an annoyed tone.

Danny rolled his eyes and agreed.

Jo let out a long sigh as she stared at the TV, she could smell something good from the kitchen; she got up and saw Kamekona standing there. "What smells good?" She asked.

"Spam." He said.

She cringed. "Spam?" She asked.

"Hey, don't cringe at something God gave you." He said to her.

"Don't you mean something God inspired man to do? Full of sodium and Lord knows what?" She replied. "Why does Steve even have spam?"

Kamekona chuckled as he plated up the odd-yet-good-smelling mixture on to two plates. "Eat up." He said.

She grabbed the plate and she grinned.

They sat on Steve's Lanai chairs and ate in silence; Kamekona spoke up after a long moment of silence. "So, what'd you do to end up here?" He asked.

She let out a sigh as she shook her head. "It's bad Brah; people could get hurt if they knew." She said and then she put the plate aside after she decided Spam wasn't her thing.

"Tell me about it." He said with the shake of his head. "Your Haole friends –"

"Hate that word… Haole…"

"They get in trouble."

She pulled her knees up to her chest. "Hey, Kamekona?" She asked. "What do you know about the Badir Cartel?" She asked.

He paused. "Now what's a little white-girl like you asking about a thing like that?" He asked.

She got up and paced. "Brah, I need to know if they're in Hawaii – please." She said as she looked at him. "The Ochoa Cartel is here – I need to know…"

He stared at her bruised face, her eyes were wide and she was giving him a puppy-dog look. He sighed and put his spoon down. "Look, I can't tell you much – ain't even sure if it's right or not myself." He said. "Heard talk on da streets sayin' Badir is lookin' for someone… Girl – by the sounds of it…"

Her face paled as she turned away. They were looking for her. "Do they have any leads?" She asked.

"Not as far as I know." He replied.

She nodded slowly and thanked him before she grabbed the plate and walked off.


	11. I Just Don't Know

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or the places mentioned, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

So I'm not a big fan of doing this but... Reviews please?

* * *

She sat in the room she was to stay in; the room looked like it had been owned by another female – possibly Steve's sister. She opened her laptop and put it on the desk. She waited for it to turn on as she stared about the room. If the Ochoa Cartel was there – did that mean Badir was moving in? Kamekona wouldn't tell her more than that rumors of Badir were starting to pop up here and there. She stared at the screen. The incident the previous night had been a warning – but what did that mean?

Her phone began to ring; she answered and put it on speaker. "Hey Jo." Kono's voice said.

"Hey, how's the case going?" She asked.

"Could be going better – look, I need your opinion on something – the guys haven't gotten back yet – so I got in to Meka's computer and was able to go through his deleted Internet history… there's a cloud site that he visited frequently. So I tapped into the off-site server and I found wire transfers; six-figure transactions from an Ochoa shell corporation in Mexico to an encrypted account in Singapore."

"He was going to Singapore?"

"Had a flight planned for next week…" She replied.

"Singapore…" Jo mused. "You know Singapore's turning in to the new Switzerland. It's one of the few places post-9/11 that didn't change its banking confidentiality laws…"

"Does that mean that they can actually hide the account holder's I.D. even from the authorities?" Kono questioned.

"Hey, was this guy on a Money Trail?" She questioned.

"Who're you talking to?" A voice said through the phone.

"Jo." Kono replied.

"She's not on this case." It was Steve.

"You need me." She said.

"No we don't." He said.

"Yes you do."

"We are not having this conversation right now." He snapped.

"Told you, a match made in hell." Danny's voice intoned.

She could practically hear Steve rolling his eyes. "Look – Jo… Does Meka seem suspicious?" He asked. She was obviously on speaker.

"Well, if you take in to account that he had money transferred to Singapore – he was planning a flight there – did his wife know about that?" She asked.

"No." Kono said.

"What about the mole in HPD, you guys said that there was a mole, first case as Five-0 he identified Kono to San Ming as a cop and that almost killed her could he have been –"

"Meka was a clean guy." Danny said hotly. "He was a good cop – and an even better man! Stop trying to pin this on him."

"As someone who has never known him – I never met the guy Danny; he seems a bit suspicious – why else would the Ochoa Cartel kill him? Either they were done with him or…" She trailed off.

"Or…?" Steve asked.

She let out a sigh as she frowned. "What if he was undercover?" She asked.

"What?" Steve said.

"What if he was undercover – or something… I don't know." She shrugged. "Steve, you would know to take my word on it – Meka either was dirty… not saying he is Danno... or that he was investigating why they're here…" They all fell silent and soon Steve was the only one talking to her.

"You know something." He stated.

"I don't," She replied. "Kamekona won't say much – but he's saying that Badir is looking for someone… girl by the sound of it – I'm afraid that might be me because out of everyone in the family I was the only one who messed around with the cartel the way I did." She turned in the chair. "The Ochoa Cartel is one of the Cartels that became involved with Badir…" She fell silent. "Like I said, Kamekona was pretty tight-lipped about it all."

He was silent, she could almost see him pacing. "What else do you got?" He asked.

"Not much, you won't let me do anything, remember?" She asked. "And you've got a man that could kill me by sitting on me to watch me… You've got it out for me." She grinned.

"Yeah, I want Kamekona to smother you in your sleep…"

"Or give me a heart attack – do you have any idea what dinner consisted of?" She asked. "Spam and Eggs." She could hear him scoff. "Look, be careful…" She said silently. "I'm sure someone would be devastated if you got hurt by the Cartel…" She got up and began to pace the room.

"Danny did something crazy." He said.

"On a scale of 1 to dangle a man of a Roof crazy… how crazy?" She asked. Danny had told her about the one incident in which Steve held a man over a ledge by his knees to interrogate him.

"Tying a man to the hood of his car and speeding." He replied.

"The people I should be afraid of are you people." She retorted.

"Yeah, yeah – look – we've got to get working, stay out of trouble." He said.

"Trouble finds me." She replied with an indignant huff. She then listened as he hung up; she turned her phone upside down and let out a huff. She paused when she heard her phone ring once more. She grabbed it and thought it would be Steve but this time she found that the number was with-held. Slowly she answered it. "Hello?"

"Hello, Jo." A voice said that made her want to cry.

"What do you want from me?" She asked with a hiss. "Hell, how did you get my number?!"

She could almost hear her cousin smirking through the phone; she kept an eye on the clock. "Finding your number wasn't difficult – it's finding you that will be hard." He said.

Before he could say anything more she shut her phone off and slammed her foot down on it after she threw it down on the floor, she smashed it in to pieces and made sure no one could call her through it.

Kamekona appeared after he heard the crunching. "Hey – what's goin' Lil' Sis?" He said.

"They contacted me." She said slowly. "Badir Contacted me." She looked at her companion and his face looked pallid.

They sat in the living room waiting for Steve to walk in, and he did – he looked around. "Why the hell aren't you answering your phone?" He asked her.

"I had to demolish it." She said.

He looked confused. "What?"

She got up and managed a grin. "My cousin decided to give me a call." She said.

His face fell. "What?"

"I don't know how – but he got my number… either someone isn't doing their job – or there's a mole…" She let out a quiet sigh as she leaned against the wall; Kamekona – on the other hand – had gotten up and left. "I hung up before he could triangulate my location." She shrugged. "And then I smashed it with my foot."

"Is Badir on the move?" He asked her.

She nodded. "It would seem like it is – do you realize he would probably stop at nothing to kill me?" She asked him.

"That's why I'm going to make sure to stop him first." He told her.

She put her good hand under her elbow as she studied him. "The others are starting to get suspicious." She said. "I had hoped to go as long as possible without telling them… knowledge is dangerous." She stated.

"The decisions I've been making have been making the others suspicious." He agreed. "Danny's got this crazy idea in his head that something's going on between the two of us." He rolled his eyes.

She scoffed as he walked past her in to the kitchen. "Well, did you tell them?" She asked. "I mean… anything?" She pushed herself off the wall and followed him. "They deserve to know."

"It's not my story to tell." He said. "You want them to know, you tell them."

She sat on a stool in the kitchen and leaned on the counter. "How's the Meka case going?" She asked.

He shook his head as he began to make dinner, she saw him chuck the spam into a trash bin before he pulled out some chicken. "I don't know," He said. "Danny's so… convinced the guy's clean…"

"Wouldn't you if you were in his position?" She asked.

"I would try to get all the facts straight –"

"Don't give me that." She said as she interrupted him. "You put your neck on the line for that SEAL when he had people held hostage… you were convinced he was innocent – so you really shouldn't start about thinking objectively because you don't." She said.

He gave her a look that clearly stated 'I hate it when you do that.' He then turned away. "That was different." He said.

"You're right – he was alive and I.A wasn't all over his case." She said. "That totally justifies him being innocent."

"Why do you do that?" He asked her.

"Do what?" She asked innocently.

"Contradict everything I say." He said.

"Darling, _that's_ thinking objectively, I don't know you all like you know each other… that means I'm better at giving impartial advice." She said. He huffed silently and turned his back to her again. "You don't need to agree with me, but you know I'm right." She said with a grin. She paused. "Look, put yourself in Danny's shoes – and then… think about Chin."

"Chin?" He questioned over his shoulder. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"He was badgered by I.A until he left the force – can you imagine what they must be doing now they think Meka is dirty? Hell, they won't even give him a proper service!" She frowned. "That's messed up."

He paused and looked at her. "You think he's clean?"

"I think he deserves to be given justice." She said. "Look, I was born and raised an American – and though some mistakes have been done – I am proud of the men that serve this country… I am proud of any man willing to put his life on the line for his country because that is a sacrifice that not many are brave enough – or willing enough to make." She stared at him as he leaned on the counter facing her. "Meka – regardless of what I.A might think – or what you might think – was a man that served his country… He died – and left behind a family… and that merits a proper investigation."

"You're not objective." He said evenly.

She flushed and looked down at her hands. "I am too."

"You've been living with the cloud of the Abdel Fattah name around you and no one has tried to clear your name…"

"This has nothing to do with me." She said as she looked up at him again.

He stared at her face for a long time. "You aren't the only person that can read people."

She shrugged. "Yeah, well, we all have some sort of cloud hanging over us." She said.

"True." He said as he pushed himself off the counter. He made them both a proper dinner and then together they cleaned up once they were done – both of them enveloped in their own thoughts.

The following morning Steve woke up to the sound of something downstairs, not as paranoid as his new house-mate so he got up and walked downstairs into the kitchen only to find Jo messing around the kitchen, her arm was out of the sling but her movement was limited. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"Oh, good morning." She greeted as she opened the fridge. "I hope you don't mind me using your kitchen – we sort of live together now…" She made a face as she shut the fridge and began to pour milk in a boiling pot. "So I thought I'd at least make breakfast."

He leaned against the door. "Breakfast?"

She bent down to open the oven and pull out English muffins. She placed them on the counter to cool. "Plus, I've been up a while now." She replied. "Thought I'd bake…"

He watched her as she put coffee into mugs and then she poured the milk on them after it boiled. He walked in to the kitchen and began to pull out things like butter and jam. "So, what, when you're restless you bake?" He asked.

"Never said I was restless, I woke up early – prayed Fajir, went for a quick jog along the beach – by the time I was back it was six a.m. so I decided to bake – " She shrugged. "It's a bit cathartic."

"Cathartic… right." He said.

"Don't hate brah." She replied.

After a short while they sat down to eat, Jo began to read the Newspaper as he grabbed one of the sections from it. As they sat in a companionable silence, enjoying breakfast, Steve's phone began to ring. He answered it and put it on speaker. "McGarrett." He said.

"Boss," Kono's voice said. "I should probably let you know that Danny went to see Sang Min."

Steve and Jo looked up at each other and then he frowned. "What?"

"He said he wanted to get answers – you should probably…"

"Yeah, on it." He said and he hung up. He got up and downed the rest of his breakfast as quickly as he good. Jo got up as he made his way upstairs.

"Let me at least help out at HQ." She said. "You can't call Kamekona all the time."

He hesitated. "Fine, go get dressed – we leave in ten minutes."

She grinned and went upstairs happily as she walked past him. She walked into the room she occupied and then she shut the door, she threw off her sweat-pants, sweatshirt, and Hijab and quickly changed into a pair of loose fitting jeans and a light-blue tunic, the put on a white Hijab and put her badge at her hip and holstered her gun on the other side. She shoved her feet into her boots before she walked out of the room, Steve nodded as he stepped out of his own room and together they made their way out of the house.

When they were at the Correctional Facility they switched seats, he leaned in the window and looked at her as she put her hands on the steering wheel. "I won't be able to contact you." He stated.

"It's good to know you're concerned." She said. "Look – I'll be fine… I'll head to HQ and call you from Kono's phone." She said. "Or I'll stop and get a new phone –" She paused. "I need to tell Sam…" She frowned. "Oh God, he's going to be so mad…"

"Look, just get to HQ – worry about it later…" He trailed off.

"And if I feel like I'm being followed – speed off in the other direction." She nodded. "Got it."

"I wasn't going to say that –"

"But you thought it." She said as she looked at him. "Look, I know how this goes – my cousin made contact – now he's going to try and find me… he's probably getting desperate…"

"Why would he get desperate?" He asked her.

She looked at her hands and grinned. "Because I'm the only idiot brave enough to go up against them – he knows as long as I'm living I will not stop until he is stopped – my father did the same – and he got shot… I am going to stop him." She promised. "Maybe… it's good that he's coming after me, that way I can hunt him down…"

"Hey," He said. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Until then…"

"Do I have your support?" She asked. "You and the others?"

"A thousand percent." He said with a nod.

"Thank you." She said and let out a sigh. "Well, there's Danny." She said as they saw him walk out of the building, he looked perplexed. He pushed himself back and nodded.

"Be careful." He said.

She scoffed. "Sheesh, McGarrett, you're going soft." She said as she turned the key in the ignition.

He rolled his eyes and stepped back as she drove off. The drive to HQ was without any problem, when she walked in she saw Kono and Chin standing there. "Jo!" Kono exclaimed.

"Hey." She greeted as she walked over to them. "Howzit?"

"Not so good." She replied. "This case…"

"Have you guys thought about finding the Mole?" She asked Chin.

He nodded. "Yeah, wait – you don't think it could be Meka?" He asked her.

"Well, like I told Steve last night, I'm a bit objective – I don't know the guy – so I don't have any emotional attachments like Danny does – and on the other hand I know how the whole Cartel thing goes…" She drummed her fingers on the table. "I think you should try to wheedle out the Mole."

"That's a good idea." Chin said. "You should probably not actively participate in this case." He added.

She nodded and put her hands in her pocket. "You're probably right… I had a close call last night, literally." She informed him.

"What happened?"

She huffed as she shuffled her feet. "My Cousin made contact." She said quietly.

He frowned and then nodded. "Is that why we couldn't contact you?" He asked.

"Yeah, I smashed my phone – look, I need to call Sam for him to arrange a new phone to be given to me." She gestured to her office.

He nodded and watched her as she retreated.

She walked in to her office and then she shut the door behind her, she let out a sigh at the quietness and then she went to sit at her desk. After a long moment of contemplation she picked up the phone and dialed a number. Moments later she got a response. "Hannah."

"Hey Sam…" She said quietly.

"Jo, everything okay?" He asked. She could hear voices over the phone and then a door slam.

"Yeah, it's fine… look, Sam – I have a really stupid request." She said.

"Shoot." He replied.

"Look, I need a new phone…"

"What happened to your last one?" He asked.

Her eyes shifted. "Uhh, I accidentally flushed it down the toilet… it's water-logged – and I think it's time for a new number –"

"Jo." He said. "What happened?"

She frowned and drummed her fingers on the desk. "Aziz contacted me." She said slowly.

She closed her eyes and cringed as he began to shuffle. "WHAT?!" She had expected that reaction. "What do you mean he contacted you –"

"Calm down." She said loudly. "I shut the phone off and demolished it before he could probably locate me." She fell silent.

"Good," He said. "Look, I'll have a phone sent to you – alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, thanks – Sam – please don't have me moved… I actually like it here…" She said. "Please?"

He let out a sigh. "Fine." He said.

"Thanks." She said.

She spent the day in her office as she began to work on paperwork. She had some piling up so she decided to tackle it. She pulled out her pen and she began to write silently.

She didn't know how long she sat there before Kono walked in. "Hey," She said. "We're about to head out to meet up with Ochoa." She informed her.

Jo looked up and nodded. "You guys be safe." She said.

She hesitantly nodded before she left the office; once they were gone silence filled the Head Quarters. As she sat in her office she heard someone knocking on her door, she looked up to see an official looking man, he wore a suit and his hair was slicked back.

This was a man she knew well through the course of her fleeting times in various states. She waved him in and clasped her hands. "Special Agent Rajab." She said slowly.

Sam Rajab was one of the FBI specialists working on her case; his role was a more behind-the-scenes kind of role as he rarely interacted with her. "Hello there Jumana." He greeted.

He was a handsome man with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a strong defined jaw. "How can I help you?" She asked him.

"Can I sit?" He asked.

She nodded and gestured towards the chair facing her desk. From his jacket he pulled out an envelope. "In here you will find your new number and phone." He informed her.

"Thank you." She said as she opened it and saw yet another smart-phone, she wasn't stupid, the FBI had special programs to keep tabs on her at all times.

"It is in my understanding that your cousin has made contact." He said.

She nodded as she turned the phone on and began to enter various numbers. "He made contact last night; I destroyed the phone before he could triangulate a signal." She said as she looked up at him.

He nodded and studied her for a long while before he got up. "I trust we will be seeing each other again soon." He said before he left.

She watched as he left, she paused. What if he was the mole? She got up and she grabbed her gun with her. "Wait!" She said.

He stopped and saw her gun before he looked at her. "Do you want to do this, Jo?" He asked.

"How do I know you aren't a mole?" She asked. "It's obvious someone is leaking information – or else how did they find…" She trailed off.

"I assure you I'm not the mole." He said. "If there is one."

"How can I be so sure?" She asked.

"Well, you just have to trust me, don't you?" He said.

She frowned and watched him leave. She just stood there before she went in to her office again. The Team came back a while later minus Danny. "What happened?" She asked.

"We found the Mole." Chin informed her. "But… we've got no trial…"

"We sent the bullets to ballistics to confirm if the mole killed Meka." Kono said, they realized names wouldn't mean a thing to Jo because she wouldn't be knowing who they were talking about.

"Will he get a ceremony at least?" She asked them.

They shook their heads. "But they will cover the costs of everything… and that's good enough." Chin said.

Steve scrutinized her. "You okay?" He asked her.

She looked a bit surprised. "You're asking me that question? I should be asking that question to you." She stated. "What did you find on Meka that proved him innocent?" She asked.

"Remember the Singapore account we found on Meka's laptop? Well there were records of wire transfers from Ochoa to an account in Singapore and Meka was on his way to meet authorities there to get them to release the identity of the account holder." Kono replied. "So, you were right in an indirect way."

Jo smirked at Steve. "Told you."

"Everything belonged to the mole Kaleo." Steve said.

"And Sang Min was great help… ironically." Kono said dryly.

Jo grinned. "Good job guys."

"Look, we should all get home; tomorrow we all have things to do." Steve said.

She grinned and went to grab her things.

Finding her on the beach at night was not something unusual anymore. Steve walked towards her and then he joined her and offered her a bottle, she cast him a glance. "Dr. Pepper, I swear." He said. "Only I drink the beer in this house."

She grinned and grabbed it from him. She then stared out at the ocean, the moon was new therefore the sky was dark and she could see a lot of stars, that's what she liked about Steve's house – it was further away from the city so the light did not impede on the starlight. "So they've decided to put on a ceremony." She said.

"It was a last minute decision, but yes – they did." He said.

"When?" She asked.

"In the morning." He said.

She nodded. "Can I attend?" She asked.

"No one's stopping you." He said.

She nodded silently. "I got a new phone." She informed him.

He looked at her and she frowned deeply. "What happened?" He asked her. Ever since they had gotten back it seemed like there was something on her mind.

"One of the Agents that I'm used to dealing showed up today." She said. "To hand me the phone…" She chewed on her bottom lip. "I thought he might be someone feeding Badir info on me."

"Was he?" He asked.

She shook her head. "At least… that's what he said." She said.

He looked at her. "What do you think?" He asked.

"I don't know what to think." She crossed her legs as she slouched in the seat a bit.

He nodded and looked away from her. She handed him her phone so he could look through it. "I checked to see if there were any unfamiliar tracking devices – found the basic FBI issue device."

He looked through it and found that there was nothing on it. He handed it back before she got up. "I'm going to bed; it's been a long day."

He nodded as she patted his shoulder and then she left.

The following morning Jo put on a black pant-suit and a grey Hijab. She grabbed black flats and then she walked out of the room. Steve was smoothing his hair back as he looked up at her. "Ready?" He asked.

She nodded to him and she watched as he put his white hat on. She put her feet in to her shoes and she nodded.

Never in her life had she been to a ceremony to honor a fallen cop, she stood between Steve and Chin, there were a lot of people there – it was obvious that Meka was once a well-liked man. After the Ceremony they went to the house to pay their respects, Danny was the first to walk in as he made his way over to Meka's wife Amy. Jo found herself weaving between the attendees as she watched them conversing, some of them spoke of Meka the Cop, others Meka the man, some memories were old – others were new… but the air was adequately nostalgic.

"Mrs. Hanamoa," She said as she approached the Widow. "I didn't know Meka, but I wanted to offer my condolences and my thanks." She said.

"Your thanks?" She asked.

"It is because of honorable men like your husband I am able to survive." She said a bit vaguely. "Any man as good as he was deserves a thanks."

Amy smiled gently and nodded. Jo felt someone tap her shoulder, she turned to see Steve, he gestured to her and they walked out into the back yard where other people sat conversing silently. "Heard what you said," He said. "That was very nice of you."

"It's not nice; it's what is supposed to be said." She replied. "Her husband was killed in the line of duty, I can only imagine how she must be feeling…"

"Proud," He said. "For one, she's probably feeling proud…"

"I don't doubt that." She said gently. "Not for one minute I do not doubt it…" She crossed her arms "With Ochoa dead, what happens to the Cartel?" She asked.

"Someone takes over," He said. "I wouldn't be surprised if they joined Badir…"

She let out a sigh. "I have to stop them." She said silently. "Before there are more Mekas and Amys…" She frowned.

"Hey, we'll stop them." He said.

"I may not be so sure about a lot of things, but that is one thing I am sure off." She said simply. "We will get Badir… sooner or later…"


	12. The Hike

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or the places mentioned, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

So I'm not a big fan of doing this but... Reviews please? And thank you to those who do review! (And favorite... and follow...)

Also, I'm sorry for not posting in a while (If anyone cares X-D)

* * *

Jo was awake bright and early, Steve was checking a pack as she checked hers. She had nagged him enough to take her hiking, it was now 4 in the morning, she had prayed Fajir and was now ready, she wore black cargos she had tucked in to combat boots and a grey shirt and white Hijab. She waited patiently for him to stand up, he had a compass and his cellphone so Kono, Chin, and Danny could call them if they needed to. "Ready?" He asked.

She checked her cellphone and then she nodded. "Yup." She said.

"Good," He said as stood up. "We're taking the truck to the start of the trail and then we'll continue on foot."

"Sounds fair." She said with a shrug.

He grabbed his pack as she grabbed hers and together they exited the house, they tossed their things in the back of the pick-up before they hopped in to the cab.

When Steve had told Danny, Chin, and Kono the previous night Danny smirked and kept going on about romantic hikes in the mountain, this earned him a face-full of mashed potatoes from Jo, and a smack upside the head from Steve. Jo then retorted she was bored and she felt like a prisoner in the McGarrett house and she needed to go out.

She stared out the window as she watched the sky, it was still dark but light began to peak at the horizon in a very comforting way. It reminded her of her childhood, waking up before the sun to go to the beach with her family, the way the air smelled fresh, the way a chill clung in the air just before the sun was in the sky to bring on the heat.

He seemed to notice her mood and it bothered him because he fidgeted. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Hm?" She said as she drew out of her reverie. "No, I'm fine…" She said slowly. "Just remembering better days…" She looked at him. "I just remembered what it was like to go to the beach with my family…"

He silently nodded; she took it as a sign to continue.

"We didn't live very far from the beach, but we would get up early – before the sun was properly up – my parents would pray Fajir and then they would put us in the car, my father…" She broke off gently. "He would stop so we could get donuts… and we would be there by the time the sun had just peeked over the horizon…" She was lost again in her memories.

It wasn't a very long drive before they arrived at the trail, he killed the engine and they got out of the car, they grabbed their things, and then they began their hike. The beginning of the trail was at the end of an urban setting, but before long Jo found herself in the famed green lands of Hawaii and she had never been happier in her life.

"We can take one of three paths – the easy one –" He pointed to a tail that didn't look trodden a lot on. "The Medium one for people that hike often… and then there's the final one – the hardest one got the people that hike and don't mind danger –" He paused and looked at her face. "Why am I even asking?"

"What's a hike without some adventure?" She asked as she stomped off before him.

He shook his head and then followed.

She found the trail started off pretty easily there weren't many reasons to even suspect it would be hard. He walked beside her and then he looked down at her. "My dad used to take me on this trail." He said.

"The Hard one?" She asked.

He laughed. "No, but I've been on it on my own."

She grinned as they continued to walk on. The trail slowly began to become difficult, and Jo was enjoying it she had fully recovered from the attack so it was refreshing for her to be outdoors and active. The fact Steve hardly let her out of the house made her want this even more.

She hated to admit it, but she actually liked spending time with the SEAL, and she knew he didn't want to admit it either but it seemed like he too enjoyed her company. He scaled a rocky wall before her and then he held out his hand for her so she could follow, she grasped his wrist as he did hers and with her other hand she helped herself follow him. "Have you considered getting a dog?" She asked him as they walked through a river.

"Why would I get a dog?" He asked.

"Dogs are cute." She shrugged as she ducked a low-hanging branch.

"Yeah, not when you're around." He said.

"You make me sound like I'm going to be some sort of permanent fixture in your home." She said as they paused for a rest.

He ignored her statement and then nodded to her. "How are you feeling?"

"Tip-top shape captain." She replied with a grin, they pulled out their water canteens and then when they had rested enough they set out again.

"You know, if anything starts to hurt –"

"Jeez, do you baby the others like this too?" She said as she jumped over a log.

He was about to say something as he joined her but the moment he landed beside her the land gave way beneath their feet and the next thing he knew he was knocked unconscious.

Jo groaned as she rubbed her forehead. "Ow." She muttered as she pushed herself up. "Why am I not surprised something like this would happen?" She muttered as she stared up above her, she winced slightly when she saw how far they had fallen. "Steve?"

She heard a groan and she quickly crawled over to it, Steve was face-down and he wasn't moving. "God…" She muttered as she flipped him over, she checked his pulse to see if he was still alive, when she saw that he was she let out a relieved sigh. "At least he's alive."

She checked herself for any breaks or bruises and found that she only had a couple of bruises and nothing to serious. She then checked Steve to make sure he was fine; he winced as he came to while she was prodding his chest. "Does anything hurt?" She asked.

"Just that it feels like Kamekona sat on me… what the hell happened?" He groaned.

"It would seem to be that the ground gave way when you jumped to join me." She said as she looked above. "It's so far up though; I really don't get how we survived the fall."

"Our clothes are wet." He said. "We must have landed in a pool of water –"

She hadn't really noticed it before, but he was right, her clothes were wet – and the ground they were on was a sandy bank, and at their feet there was some water. "We must have washed on to the bank." She mused silently.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"Me?" She said. "Brah, you were unconscious up until now."

"You're such a Haole." He said and winced when he sat up.

"You should probably take it easy." She said as she put her hand on his shoulder to force him to lie back down.

"You are the last person to be telling me that." He said.

"Yeah, we can argue about my flaws later –" She pulled out a flashlight and she shone it in his eyes a bit. "Your pupils are uneven, you have a concussion." She said.

"Great." He grumbled.

"Look, I'm going to try and find a way out that doesn't include climbing, frankly, I'm not a climber – and you're heavy." She looked through her pack, she pulled out a sweatshirt and then she folded it and placed it under Steve's head. "For once actually listen to me and stay put." She sat back and unpinned her hijab, he looked away as she tied it back like a bandana; she then grabbed the flashlight and got up. "But try to see if you can call the others from down here."

He nodded and rummaged for their phones. She glanced at him for a last time before she walked off, the place they had fallen in was a cavern that was massive. From the way the wall seemed to be smooth she assumed it had been an under-ground water reservoir. Since there was water, it had to have an outlet and she was determined to find it. "These light are waterproof, yeah?" She asked Steve.

"Yeah." He said.

"Good –" She removed her hiking boots and then she walked to the edge of the water, she saw the pool was not very deep, she grabbed some lint from her pocket and she dropped it into the water it stood still for a moment before it began to drift off, she stepped into the cold water and then she followed it, Steve watched as she waded confidently for a while before she let out a gasp as she fell into deep water. "JO!" He yelled.

"I'm fine!" She called back as she broke the surface. "Water is freezing though." She shivered. "Sit tight, I'm going to figure out a way to get us out of here." She stuck the flashlight into her mouth and then she vanished under the water.

She could barely see, she wasn't wearing goggles so her eyes were open in the water, she could feel a slight current so she went with it, when the pool became shallow again she looked up and saw she was in yet another cavern, but there was also an opening at the end. She walked to it and saw that the opening led to a river just outside. Silently she wondered if Steve would be able to make the swim.

She made her way back to Steve and then she walked over to him. She was dripping water as she dropped the flashlight. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

"I swear I'm fine." He said.

"Do you feel nauseous at all?" She asked.

"You're worried." He smirked.

"Your survival is kind of essential to my own." She said. "I'll admit it – we have a symbiotic relationship." She patted his cheek.

He grinned. "Yeah, you can call it that." She smiled gently and then she put her hands in her lap. "What did you find?" He asked.

"It's a swim," She said. "But it isn't very far – there's an outlet and a river – I'm not sure where the river goes." She looked apologetic. "I should have kept an eye out – sorry."

"No, it's fine." He said as he winced, she helped him sit up. "I should be fine."

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yeah, you need to stop worrying." He said.

She grinned and then she sat back as he got up. "Were you able to call the guys?" She asked.

"No." He said with a frown. "This place must block signals or something."

She grabbed her pack and rummaged through it. "Do you have that water-proof pack of yours?" She asked.

"Yeah." He said as he pulled it out, they put the things they needed in it before she put it on her back. She saw that Steve walked with a limp. "Your ankle –"

"It's just sprained." He replied.

"If it hurts too much, lean on me." She said as she grabbed her flashlight. "Can you do this?"

He removed his boots and tied them so that they hung around his neck, she did the same and together they went into the water. "Lead the way." He said.

She nodded and together they made their way forward. As she swam she kept her awareness on Steve in case anything happened, he was always not that far from her but when she couldn't feel him behind her anymore she paused and turned only to see him slowly drifting to the bottom, she quickly swam over to him as she pulled him up and she took him to a bank, "Steve?" She said as she lightly slapped his cheek. "Steve? Come on –" She put her ear to his mouth and heard that he wasn't breathing.

She hissed out a curse as she dropped her bag to the side and then she tilted his head back to treat him, she opened his mouth and then she pumped on the center of his chest, he coughed and water spurted out of his mouth as he turned to his side. "You passed out!" She said.

"I'm fine." He coughed.

She forced him to look at her; his eyes were rimmed with red. "Don't you lie to me." She said as she studied his face.

"I passed out." He said as he closed his eyes.

"Yeah, no joke." She said as she sat back. "We can't go on if you're going to pass out like that –" She fell silent. "And I refuse to leave you here so I can get help."

"Take my phone –" He said. "And find the way out – you don't have to leave – just get a signal – call Chin and Danny."

She nodded silently. "Just try not to pass out again." She said gently.

He chuckled. "Can't make any promises…"

She studied his eyes. "I'm afraid your concussion is worse than we thought." She said quietly. "Stay put – I'll be right back." She gently patted his cheek before she left him.

She made it outside the cavern, when she did she sat on a rock and she pulled out Steve's phone. She quickly called for Chin.

She didn't wait too long before he answered. "Boss, we've been trying to contact you for an hour now –"

"Hey Chin." She said.

"J-Jo…? Should I be worried?" He asked slowly. "Or do I have to give Danny fifty bucks –"

"I told you she's with him!" She could hear Danny yell in the background.

"Chin, we went on a hike – and we fell into this cavern, I'm fine – but Steve has a concussion." She broke off with a sigh. "I tried to get him out but he passed out and almost drowned. He's currently in the second cavern…"

"Where are you guys?" Chin asked.

"Olomana trail," She said. "But we're a bit off course now, I'm not quite sure if we're still technically on the trail."

"Stay on so I can triangulate exactly where you are so we can come and get you guys." He said.

"Thanks." She said.

"Okay –" He said. "Head back to Steve and sit tight, we'll be right there."

"Okay." She said before she hung up and obeyed.

Steve looked like he was trying to stay awake but it wasn't working, she sat by him and grabbed his hand as she dropped the back. "The guys are on the way." He looked down at their connected hands before he looked up at her again. "The next time we go hiking, how about we do that on the beach?" She asked.

"You wanted the hard trail." He said.

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, sorry about that…"

"Hey, you don't need to apologize." He said.

She frowned. "This is my fault – I couldn't stay in the house – and now you're hurt." Her hand's hold tightened on his. "It seems like I'm good at doing that, causing pain to the people around me." She paused. "Mostly physical pain."

He chuckled. "You are trouble." He said.

She didn't say anything as she stared at their hands. "I guess I am." She said. She looked up and he saw tears threatening to fall but she refused to let them fall. "Out of all of the ways to get someone hurt, this is the last thing I would ever expect." She admitted with a chuckle. With her other hand she rubbed at her eyes.

"Hey, this isn't your fault." He said. "It was a freak accident… that's all."

"I guess you're right." She said quietly.

He watched her for a long time, deciding to focus on a mark under her eye so he wouldn't pass out, she seemed to be thinking very deeply about something.

"You know, your cousin's death wasn't your fault." He said.

She looked down at him. "How…"

"You had that look in your eye… you know – you're carrying this around – you don't have to carry it alone…"

"I don't like getting close to people." She said quietly. "I get attached – and when I do it hurts all the more when I have to leave…" She trailed off. "I don't want to leave…"

"We won't let you leave." Steve said.

She didn't know if his sincerity was because of the concussion, or he had actually come to grow fond of her, but it made her feel something she hadn't felt in a very long time.

Warmth.

It was no secret that Steve McGarrett had the most peculiar effect on her, and she liked it very much. She smiled gently as she thought about this; she realized he was watching her with a grin of his own. "What?" She said.

"Admit it, you're attached." He said.

She laughed quietly. "I'm attached…" She nodded.

They could hear voices. "Jo?!"

She sat up. "CHIN! IN HERE!" She let go of Steve's hand and grabbed her flashlight as she dove into the pool, she ended up in the first cavern and saw Chin, Kono, and some medics climbing down some ropes. "You found us!"

"You look terrible." He said as he gave her a very brief hug.

"Look, we need to get to Steve –" She said.

"Take us to him." One of the Medics said.

She nodded and led him into the pool, he had a sort of floating gurney with him that he pulled along, once back on the other side she went back to Steve's side, he nodded to the Medic who helped him onto the gurney before Jo grabbed their things and together all three of them left the cavern.

Danny was the first one to greet her back as he waited in the McGarrett house. "Hiking, huh?" He said.

She smirked. "You jealous, Danno?" She asked as she made her way upstairs.

"No, no – I'm not jealous – what the hell were you thinking, you got mugged –"

"A while ago – I need the air – look, stick around and call Kono over, I think it's about time I told you guys why I've been hanging around here and around Steve so much." She promised.

He seemed to be a bit taken back with this. "Uh, really?"

"Yes, let me just go take a quick shower and then I'll be right down." She continued up the stairs into the room she was staying in. She shut the door and then she dropped her things onto the floor, she then began to peel off her clothes before she grabbed her things and then she went in to take a shower. Her mind was on Steve now, she knew that he was at the hospital, and Chin was with him – but she was a bit worried.

When she had changed she hung up her towel and then she put on a Hijab before she headed downstairs. Kono and Danny were waiting for her, she grinned as she put her hands in her pockets. "Sorry guys…" Her grin fell. "How's Steve?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Steve said as he walked through the door with Chin.

He had a bandage around his head. "But your –" She started.

"He refused to stay at the hospital." Chin said dryly.

"I'm fine." Steve said as he rolled his eyes. "I've had worse."

"You were saying?" Danny said.

"Right." She said. "I suppose you better sit down because this is a very long story…"

They obeyed and Steve settled down as well as Chin handed him an ice-pack. Slowly she began to tell them everything, about how she had been moved around a lot, how she was in a witness protection program, about how her cousin became a drug-lord in a growing drug cartel and how that cousin had killed her father – his uncle – and her cousin. She also explained about her last names, and about Sam.

When she had finished her tale she looked at them. "That mugging was a warning from Badir… that is why Steve forced me to live with him."

"Forced is a harsh word." Steve said. "But accurate."

"And why did you wait to tell us?" Kono asked.

"Because… everyone I have ever told ended up getting hurt because of me… so after that happened once – I detached myself from people, the relationships I built became shallow with a feigned depth, and I became a liar."

"What's different now?" Danny asked. "If you're, uh… a liar –"

"Because – somehow you people… I'm attached to you – and I realize that now… Before I would never have believed it – but you really are my Ohana now, and I don't think anything can change that… I know I'm probably putting you all at a great risk, but since Danny was being such a jerk about this – and it felt wrong to keep it from you, Kono, Steve… and Chin… helped me realize that I do need to tell you two, we're a team, and things this big shouldn't be kept a secret."

"Let me get something straight," Danny said. "You realized you were attached to us… recently."

"Yes." She said slowly.

"And… this has nothing to do with him?" He pointed at Steve. "I'm not convinced."

Steve shrugged. "Believe what you want."

"I mean it Danny." She said.

They were silent for a long time; it was Kono that broke the silence. "Thank you for telling us." She said.

Jo smiled wanly. "Thank you for not running out in terror." She replied.

"So what now?" Danny asked.

"Now, you guys leave." Steve said. "My head hurts, and it's Jo's fault."

She rolled her eyes. "You are such a baby." She said as she walked into the kitchen.

Danny looked at her as she went, he then pointed at her and then he looked at Steve. "You are not as much of an animal when she's around – never lose her." He said.

"Good bye Danny." Steve said dryly.

"I mean it, I really do." Danny said before he left.

Jo really couldn't recall a time she had ever felt so safe and cared for, she found it ironic that this would happen in the aftermath of a hike gone awry.


	13. Security Detail

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or the places mentioned, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

So I'm not a big fan of doing this but... Reviews please? And thank you to those who do review! (And favorite... and follow...)

* * *

Jo sat on the couch as she watched T.V, she could hear Steve doing something in the house, she really didn't bother herself all that much when it came to whatever it was he did but he mostly spent it in the garage – she assumed he was working on the car that used to belong to his father, it had been a week or so since the hiking incident and he had recovered from his concussion… She was munching on some sort of nuts she found in the kitchen and she was watching some sort of movie – all she knew was that it was terribly sad – and in Korean… she didn't know Korean, but the lead actor was a very handsome man.

Steve walked out from the garage and frowned when he saw her grabbing a tissue and wiping at her eyes before she grabbed a fistful of peanuts and then she shoved it into her mouth. He leaned on the couch and stared down at her before he spoke up. "What the hell are you watching?" He asked only slightly concerned, he wasn't really used to seeing tears in the eyes of his charge.

"I have no idea!" She sobbed. "Whatever it is – it's beautiful!"

He rolled his eyes. "And is there a reason you're trying to deplete my supply of honey peanuts?" He asked.

"It's compromise – we live together now – you can always buy new peanuts… Symbiotic relationship, remember?" She sniffed as she continued to watch the movie. He moved around the couch and then he sat beside her, he reached over and grabbed a handful of peanuts. "What are you doing?" She asked as she looked at him.

"If you're going to waste my peanuts, I figured I should waste them too…" He said. He put his arm on the couch behind her and then he stared at the screen. "What are we watching?" He asked.

"Some movie I can't pronounce." She said.

"Why are we watching it?" He asked.

"Because the leading guy is hot." She replied.

He gave her an odd look. "And you think that's a legitimate reason to watch a movie?"

She looked at him seriously and she nodded. "Yes, it is a legit reason." She said.

He snorted and grabbed some more peanuts. "Women." He muttered.

"Like men are any better? Please tell me why you would watch a Scarlett Johansen movie, or an Angelina Jolie movie?"

"Who?" He questioned.

She rolled her eyes and stared back at the screen. She tugged the jar away from him before he could grab any more. "You don't get any if you're going to question why I'm watching a movie." She said.

"My sister bought them." He protested.

"You forced me to live here." She said.

He raised his eyebrows. "For your safety." He said.

"My safety, my peanuts." She retorted.

He sat back and let out a huff, she smirked as she shoved her hand in to the jar once more, she threw a peanut so she could catch it with her mouth, it bounced off Steve's eye instead. She backed away slowly as he grabbed the peanut. When she saw a malicious glint in his eye she got up. "I think I'm going to go to bed now."

"Give me the peanuts." He said as he got up.

"You can't make me." She said as she backed away.

"Give me the peanuts!" He said.

She laughed manically before she ran off with the jar cradled in her arms like a child. He jumped over the couch and sprinted off after her, she realized the house was not a good idea to be running around in so she made an escape to the Lanai and then out onto the beach with him in close pursuit, she then cursed her luck when she remembered that Steve was a SEAL, she had no chance in wining this race but she refused to go down so easily so she pushed herself to try and go faster but she could still hear the steady sprinting of Steve right behind her.

She let out a cry when he pounced and grabbed her ankles, sending her falling face-first in to the sand; the jar flew out of her hands and went right in to the ocean. "NNOOO! PEANUTS!" She cried out dramatically. "NOT THE PEANUTS!"

Steve watched as the jar was taken by the waves, and the peanuts lost. "That was a 50 dollar jar of peanuts." He said.

She sat up and yanked her ankles from his grasp. "Who the hell pays 50 dollars for peanuts?" She asked.

"My sister, Mary." He said dryly as he sat up.

She frowned. "You let your sister buy 50 dollars' worth of peanuts?" She said.

He pointed at her. "Don't start." He said.

She shrugged. "Your life, your cash." She got up and dusted herself off. "They were good though," She absently subbed her stomach. "A pity Davy Jones had to take them."

"Davy Jones?" He said.

"You don't believe in Davy Jones? Dude, you're a freaking SEAL how can you not believe in Davy Jones?" She asked.

"How can you believe in Davy Jones?" He said.

She shrugged. "In Pirates of the Caribbean the guy that plays him is hot… I mean after he dies – not when he is all tentically." She said. "You know, Orlando Bloom…"

"You're impossible." He said.

She smirked. "Or you're just jealous." She said as she helped him up.

He rolled his eyes and stood up. "I'm not jealous."

She rolled her eyes and walked to the waves as the jar was brought back by the waves, the jar was empty; she held it out to him. "At least you get to keep this." She said.

He grabbed it from her and then they began to walk back to the house. "It really wasn't all that good." He said.

"Don't lie, you chased me down for them." She retorted.

"And guess what?" He said as he stuck his hand in his pocket, from his pocket he pulled out a peanut. She reached for it but he threw it into his mouth and smirked at her as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh!" She said suddenly. "… Catherine Rollins…" She started slowly.

"Who's jealous now?" He retorted.

"Would you shut up and let me think? She called earlier and had a message for you – I can't remember… OH! She wanted to apologize because apparently tomorrow she was supposed to be on leave, but something came up and now she can't."

"Why didn't she tell me?" He asked.

"I tried to give you the phone but you snapped at me." She shrugged. "So I told her I'd let you know." She smirked. "Who's she? You're girlfriend?"

He shrugged. "You can call it that."

She paused. "Oh."

He raised an eyebrow. "You are jealous –"

"Shut up you big oaf, the whole 'Relationship' thing has always made me uncomfortable, when my friend got married – I didn't know how to talk to her for a long time…" Her mind then went to Derek.

"What's with that look?" He asked.

She hesitated. "I never told you how Badir found me last time? Did I?" She asked.

He shook his head.

She smiled bitterly. "There was this guy I really… I don't know, I guess I had a thing for him… and he appeared to have a thing for me… at times…" She paused as she put her hands in her pockets, she didn't realize how far they had run until their walk back. "And he sold me out – he literally sold me to Badir."

"I'm really sorry about that…" He said.

She shook her head. "Nah…"

"You know, none of us would sell you out like that." He said as he put an arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah," She said. "It's nice to really feel like I belong somewhere – hell, I might even put up a photo if I'm ever allowed to go back to my house – am I?"

He laughed. "That has yet to be seen."

She huffed and grabbed the jar from him. "So, fifty bucks huh…?" She smirked.

"You are -" He started but she pushed him so he fell into the sand before she ran off, her evil laughter carried over the sound of the waves.

She walked into the house, her sides still burning from sprinting and laughing at the same time, she put the jar on the counter as she went upstairs to wash her feet. She couldn't really remember the last time she had genuinely laughed like that. She stepped into the bathroom of the room she was staying in as she contemplated this.

She realized now just much Steve had affected her. She officially called it the McGarrett effect. She walked out of the room and then she leaned on the rail to look down onto the living room where he was talking on the phone.

It wasn't just him – it was everyone... Chin, Kono, Danny, and even Kamekona – they all made her feel at ease – they all made her feel like she was home.

She smiled gently as she thought about this. "Jo?" Steve questioned.

Her heart skipped a beat at being caught daydreaming like an idiot as she looked down at him. "Yeah?" She asked.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Of course I am." She said as she stood straight. "Just thinking about those peanuts."

He raised an eyebrow but chuckled all the same. She felt warmth spread across her cheeks and then she felt a sick sort of realization. She frowned in horror as she stepped back. She walked into her room and then she shut the door before she paced a bit. 'I think I have feelings for him!' She thought, a cold sweat broke out on her body at that thought.

She sat on the bed and she hid her face in her hands. 'What have I done?' She thought silently. 'What have I done?!'

The following morning as Jo was putting her Hijab on she could hear Steve talking in the other room. "Alright, I'm on my way –"

"We're on our way." She corrected as she stepped out of the room.

"Not this again…" He groaned.

"Yes, this again." She said as she shoved her feet in to her boots.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine – but just so you know, Danny is picking us up and he's been assuming weird things." He said.

"Assuming weird things… how?" She asked as she clipped her badge to her belt.

"Never mind – just –" He ran a hand over his hair.

She seemed to get what he meant. "Do you mean he's... insinuating things?" She asked.

"He was..."

"I clearly explained this situation to him." She said. "If he still is making unnecessary remarks, then he is an idiot." She checked her gun before she put it in it's holster. "So?"

"Let's go." He said.

Together they left the house and got into Danny's car as he pulled up, he looked like e wanted to smirk but Jo sent him a glare that stopped him. "You know, I should probably get myself a car." She said after they had settled in the car.

He was silent, she stared out the window and mused on her revelation the previous night. "Hey, you okay?" He asked.

"Hm? I'm fine." She lied as she drummed her fingers on her knee. "What's the situation?"

He shrugged. "I was told it's high-level." He replied.

They pulled up at a Hotel and together they made their way to the rest of their team. Laura Hills stood waiting for them, Jo grinned. "Ms. Hills."

"How are you doing, Ms. Hassan?" She asked.

"Good." She nodded and then she looked up at Steve who looked amused. "What? Just because you're incapable of being cordial doesn't mean I can't."

Laura chuckled and then she gestured to them to follow her into the Hotel, obediently they followed until they were with a man. "Tom Matthews." Laura said as the man turned around. "Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett and Detectives Danny Williams and Jumana Hassan from Five-O."

"Hey." Danny said.

"Hello!" Jo beamed.

"Tom is running security on the Foreign Aid Summit." Laura said.

"All right. What do we know about this victim?" Steve asked.

"His name is David Atwater." Tom said as he looked at them. "He was a diplomatic service agent assigned to General Pak's advance team."

"General Pak is arriving today from Sandimar for the Aid signing. And a lot of people do not want General Pak here." Laura explained.

"I wouldn't." Jo said, Steve looked at her with a wry look. "What? I happen to have a friend that lives in Sandimar."

Danny couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Yeah, from what I've seen on the news, a lot of people don't want him alive."

"Atwater was on the trail of one of these people." Laura continued. "He called Tom just a few hours before his death, saying that he had information about an assassination plot."

"Why didn't he give details over the phone?" Steve asked.

"I'm assuming he had something important to tell you – phones aren't secure – it wouldn't be a smart place to share secret intel..." Jo said, she knew a lot about this especially since she was no stranger to how this whole thing seemed to work.

"Said we had to meet." Tom said with a nod towards Jumana. "We were scheduled to do that at the hotel bar last night. Atwater didn't show. I went to his room and found his body."

"So you got the call and you found the body?" Danny asked a bit skeptically.

"If you want to waste what little time we have investigating me, Detective Williams, go ahead." Tom said a bit coldly. "I'll be in my office. Gentlemen."

"Well, he's pleasant." Jo said sarcastically.

"Whatever the threat assessment was, it's now changed." Laura said.

"Why don't we just postpone the general's trip?" Steve asked.

"Or keep him in Sandimar?" Jo offered, Steve gave her a look and she innocently grinned.

"It is critical that General Pak attend the Summit, McGarrett, Jo." Laura said as she looked at them respectively. "That's why the governor has you on this. You are to find Atwater's killer and assist in protecting General Pak and his family when they arrive."

"I'm sorry, did you say "assist"? Who am I assisting?" Steve asked as if he had misheard her.

"Uh, this is..." Danny said as a tall man that looked like he had probably been in the Army at some point walked out.

"No way! What's up, bullfrog?" Steve grinned as he greeted the man happily.

"Smooth dog." The man greeted.

"Been a while. It's been a long time, man!" He looked at Jo and then back at Steve. "You're into that now?"

Jo flushed scarlet as she glared up at the man. "I'm Detective Jumana Hassan." She said.

The man looked amused. "Seems like you've got your hands full with this one."

Steve looked amused as well. "Jo, Nick served under me in the SEALs, and three years in the 'Stan." He explained to the annoyed looking Jo.

"Is that what you're calling it now? 'The 'Stan'?" She snorted.

"The 'Stan? What is the 'Stan?" Danny asked, clearly not liking being out of the loop.

"Afghanistan." Steve said. "Nick, this is my partner Danny Williams."

"How you doing?" Nick asked him.

"Good." Danny said.

"And you? You Arabian?" Nick said, there was a gleam in his eye that let the others know he was clearly enjoying her attitude.

She snorted. "Arabian?" She looked at him. "What do you think?"

"Well, you could be from the 'Stan's." He said with a shrug.

"Don't call them 'Stan!" She said. "It's Pakistan... Afghanistan... Kazakhstan... and various other -Stans."

Steve laughed. "Calm down Jo, Nick's only teasing you." He said.

She huffed and turned away. Nick chuckled in amusement.

"How are you?" Steve asked, clearly amused by Jo's reaction to the teasing. "I figured you'd reenlist until your mandatory. When did you get out?"

"Two years ago. I got my own shop now." Nick replied. "But seriously man, what's up with -?" He nodded towards Jo. "You into that now?"

Steve gave him a look that told him to drop it. But then he shrugged. "I guess you could say it's complicated."

Jo felt her face heat up, and she was thankful that her back was turned to him but Danny was looking right at her and he smirked at her. "Shut up, Danno." She snapped.

Laura spoke up again. "After last night' security breach, the Sandimar government decided to beef up their protective detail. They hired Nick's firm to protect General Pak and his family."

"Of course they did." Danny said.

"So you're working in the private sector now?" Jo asked.

"You could say that." Nick replied.

Danny scoffed. "Wow. So you got genocide, ethnic cleansing. It's a great client you got."

She grinned at Danny, and Nick didn't look very pleased with that. "Well, you know, my team and I are here to do a job, just like you."

Danny shook his head. "No, no... not just like me. See, I'm a cop. I don't get to choose who I protect. You do, and you choose this animal, and I'm sure our pay grades, our rates are a little different."

Jo put a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Calm down Brah." She said.

"Just – I mean -" Danny stuttered.

"Enough." Laura said.

Danny looked at Jo who shrugged. "You know I probably feel the same as you, dude." She said. "But we've got a job to do here."

"I'm going to do a dry run, map out the A.O. and check for choke points." Nick said.

"Alright, can you translate that?" Danny said. "What did that even mean?"

"Huh?" Nick said. "A.O. is the area of operation, all the areas we need to put on full lock-down- General Pak's route from the airport to the Summit site. Choke points are area where the motorcade could get slowed or ambushed -"

"Okay, okay – I've got an idea, If you guys are gonna keep talking like this, maybe we get a dictionary." Danny said. "Because Jo and I -"

"I understood him." She said as she crossed her arms over her stomach.

"Thank you miss 'I know Protocol'." He said. "I thought you were on my side here."

"I am, Danno." She said with a grin.

"All right, I'm sorry about them. It's good to see you. I'll call you later." Steve said.

"Maybe you can have a sleep-over and braid each others hair." Jo offered.

Steve looked at her, she shrugged and hid behind Danny. "Hey, don't put me in the line of fire – this is your problem."

Steve hugged the man and watched as he walked off, Danny snorted and crossed his arms after he attempted an awkward wave. Steve then turned to Danny and saw that his partner looked upset. "What? Are you jealous?"

"Come on Jo." Danny said. "We've got an investigation to go to."

"Danny!" Steve called after them. "You don't like him – do you?" He asked them.

Jo turned to him. "Really, what gave that away?" She asked.

Steve gave her a look. "I recall you weren't exactly cordial." He said.

"Well excuse me if I don't trust him." She said it a bit too harshly before she followed Danny.

"Wait – you didn't like me when you first met me." He said as he jogged to follow them. She knew he was talking to Danny.

"Okay, Let me explain something to you: I will never like that cheeseball." Danny said.

"Okay, I get that you were built without a censor button, but if we have to go to guns on this case, you're going to be happy that he's on our side." Steve said.

"Okay, if we have to go to guns on this case, happy is not one of the emotions I will be expressing, okay?" Danny said.

"Jo." Steve said.

She stopped and she looked at him with a frown as she crossed her arms and she looked at him. "Steve, trust my gut."

"Because it's proved useful before?" He asked.

She frowned. "That was low." She pointed at him.

"Jo – look -"

"We should just get working on this case – okay? We have a monster to protect." She walked off but he could see immense disappointment in her eyes as she walked away after Danny. It took him a moment to realize what he had said – after what she had told him the previous night – he suddenly felt terrible.

The trio walked into the Hotel's security room to look at the monitors, they wanted to see the surveillance camera's from the previous night in hopes that they would find Atwood's killer. Danny was working the screens and Jo was standing to his left, her eyes scanning the screens. "That's them in the top corner." Steve said. "Oh, look, she bought him a drink."

"You never had that happen?" Danny asked.

"Once. Niagara Falls." Steve replied. "Can you forward the tape, please?" Steve said. Steve and Jo watched silently as the tape squeaked while Danny obeyed. "Tell me something: Why would a trained agent, even off-duty, hook up with a random woman while he's on assignment?" Steve asked.

"I don't know. Lonely people do stupid things." Jo said. "Indonesia."

"Nice." Danny said.

"Can you follow them?" Steve said, looking slightly annoyed.

Jo wanted to avert her eyes as they watched the pair, but this was her job. "Here they are in the elevator, and... here they are in the hallway." Danny said.

"She never let's the camera get a full shot of her face." She said with a frown as she stared at the shot. "She knows all the blind-spots... girl's done her homework."

"Wait a minute. Go back, go back. Rewind the tape five seconds." Steve said, the tape squeaked some more. "And zoom in. Look at that- his hand's shaking." Steve said. "Don't really blame him... Also Niagara Falls."

Jo rolled her eyes but then she paused. "Wait, Danny, can you please rewind the tape back to the bar?"

"Wait, wait, wait, go back, go back, go back." Steve said. "And zoom in. He pointed to the screen. "Look at that -"

"Oh my God, that's..." She pointed to the powder the woman poured into the glass.

"That would explain the animal kingdom behavior in the hallway." Danny said.

"Yeah, it would also explain him skipping a meeting that he set about an impending assassination attempt." Steve added. They grabbed the tapes and Jo put them in a bag Steve handed her.

"Here's a question: Anything about this case bother you?" Danny asked.

"Everything about this case bothers me." Steve asked as they left the hotel, they went to Danny's car and Jo slid into the back.

"I mean, why not kill the general in Sandimar?" Danny asked.

"Well, if it was me," Jo said as she leaned over so her head was between them. "I'd want to hit the general where his security detail is weakest, and in Sandimar he's surrounded by an army. I mean, the general never leaves Sandimar, so if they don't get him here, they don't get him."

"Which means we have to find Atwater's killer before that happens." Steve added. They fell silent as Jo silently rummaged through the car, Steve noticed something on the visor. "What is that?"

"What's what?" Danny asked.

"That." Steve said as he pointed to the visor.

"That is a picture of Grace." Danny said.

"No, not that. That." Steve said as he pulled out a postcard from New Jersey.

"Oh, that's a visual aid." Danny said. "Just a reminder of a better place."

"A visual aid?" Steve said.

"Yeah."

"Danny, this is a postcard of New Jersey." Steve said incredulously.

"I know exactly what it is; I bought it, all right?" He paused and glanced at Steve. "What, you want to hear me say it? I'm not afraid to say it. I miss home. I'm a little homesick, okay? It's okay. It's okay to be homesick. I miss Sal's Steak House. I miss Frankie's. I miss Manny's -"

"Do you realize how much of your life revolves around food?" Steve said.

"Do you realize how much your life revolves around armed conflict?" Danny countered.

"Let me ask you a question." Steve said. "Where do people from New Jersey vacation?"

"Um, I don't know. I-I would imagine they vacation all over the place." Danny said.

"Okay. And you're... you're aware the fact that perhaps many people from New Jersey vacation here in Hawaii?" Steve offered.

"I'm sure some misguided people do, sure, yeah." Danny said.

"Okay, good. And how many Hawaiians do you think vacation in New Jersey?" Steve questioned.

"I don't know." Danny said.

"I can help you with that answer if you want. The answer is zero, Danny, because nobody here, except you,  
wants to be there, okay? Because aside from a couple of great singers, New Jersey doesn't exactly scream..." Steve said but was interrupted by Danny.

"Oh, oh... Whoa, a few great singers? Sinatra, Springsteen... Right. A few great sing... Jonathan Bon Jovi."

"I'm sorry, Bon Jovi?" Steve said.

"Absolutely Bon Jovi."

"I like Bon Jovi..." Jo said as she forgot she was upset for a short while.

"You serious?"

"He's right up there. 'You Give Love a Bad Name', 'Wanted Dead or Alive' -"

"Now you're giving me song titles -"

"I'm giving you classic song titles."

"Look, all I'm saying is, it's cool with me if you want to have a photo of Grace, okay, but any other additions and decorations to the interior of this vehicle should be treated like a wiretap request where you need my authorization." Steve said.

"You can ride in the trunk if you don't like it." Danny said. "I'll get real Jersey up in this piece."

Steve was about to say something but Jo realized she couldn't take any more of his arguing – either of them. "Would you just drop it?" She snapped.

Steve turned to give her a look. "Really?"

"This is his car – so shut up or you can walk!" She snapped before she slid to sit behind Danny. Steve frowned and looked at Danny who shrugged, but had a triumphant smirk on his face. 'She's on my side now.' He mouthed.

"I'm not on your side either." She grunted. "You two are annoying me, I want you both to shut up."

"Hey I didn't do anything." Danny said.

She remained silent, they saw people lining the streets and she watched with a forlorn look on her face.

"Look at this. General Pak's got a fan club." Danny said, people carried posters protesting the General. "This makes me so sick. We might have to take a bullet for this guy."

"If we do our job right, that's not going to happen." Steve said quietly.

"Even if we get her, I mean, what are the chances she's working alone?" Jo asked after a long while of silence.

"Not only are we going to find her; we're going to find her, and then we're going to squeeze her to flip on her partners." Steve said.

"Yeah, well, I just want you to know something. When I took an oath to protect people, General Pak is not who I had in mind." Danny said quietly.

"Me, either." Steve agreed.

Once they were back at HQ Jo took the tapes. "Chin, can I have some help here?" She asked.

He followed her and she pulled out the tapes. "These are surveillance tapes from the Hotel." She began to explain. "And on it – we have images of the Assassin – however they're partials, the woman was smart, she knows the hotel camera's blind-spots and she used them... I was thinking if we could -"

"Take the partials and composite an image?" He offered.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Well then, leave it to me." He grinned.

She thanked him and then she went to her office, her mind was on Nick Taylor and his 'firm'. She turned on the computer and waited for it to boot before she began her search. As she typed away she heard someone tapping on her glass door, she glanced up as Steve walked in. She ignored him and continued working.

"You're mad at me." He said.

"What gave that away?" She asked as she got up and she walked to her filing cabinet. She opened a drawer as she began to sift through the files.

"Why are you looking up Nick's firm?" He asked.

She saw he was sitting at her desk. "Do you mind?" She said. "That's private."

"Nick's a good guy." He said.

"Well, I've got a bad feeling about him – but apparently my gut feeling is not to be trusted." She said. She watched as he got out of her seat so she could sit down.

"You really took offense to that?" He asked.

"Seeing as what I had divulged last night – yes – I did take offense in that." She said. "And while we're at it, I didn't enjoy the way 'Nick' found my discomfort amusing."

"He was only having some fun!" He said.

"At my expense! I would understand if it was any one of you – but I don't even know the guy, I don't trust the guy – I had just met him – I -"

They both fell silent when Chin walked in, he obviously noticed the tension within the office but continued anyways. "Jo – I printed these out." He said.

"What's all this?" Steve asked.

"Well, Jo said that you didn't have a clean, full shot of the assassin's face so shew asked me to built one. I pulled two different camera stills off the security footage. This left full profile s from the bar, and this right profile is when they exited the elevator. I grabbed bits and pieces from other shots and added them to the two base images and created a composite." As he said this they walked out to join Danny and Kono.

"Wow, that's amazing." Danny said. "And Jo, good thinking." He added.

"Okay listen," Steve said. "Add the prints you pulled and circulate this picture to HPD, NCIC, FBI, Interpol and airport and Kono, keep digging into General Pak's background. I want to know if he has any enemies at home who may want to target him here. We also need a list of protesters that were at the Summit that HPD has on a watch list for making threats."

"I'll do that." Kono said.

""Just remember, General Pak has a lot of people who hate him, so don't confuse making a threat with being one. Forget the cranks and focus on the people who actually have the means to pull something like this off. And Jo and I will be going back to the Summit, review site protection with Taylor. Call me if you get anything. You got it." Together the pair left HQ.

As he drove he stopped by the side of the road and they sat in an awkward silence, she crossed her arms over her stomach as she stared out the window, her discomfort was because of many reasons, none of which she would ever tell the man that was beside her. "I'm sorry." He said.

She gaped. "What?"

"I'm apologizing. You're right – last night – what you told me..." He said. "You have every right to be mad at me."

She looked out the window, not really knowing what to say about this. She nodded. "Thank you."

"Now we've got to get going." He said. He started the car again and they went to the hotel.

Nick smirked when he saw Jo. "You're back?"

Steve put an arm around her shoulders. "Nick, we need to review the security status."

Nick nodded and gestured for them to follow him. As they looked through the security plan Steve relied on Jo's knowledge and experience with her situation to try and find any loopholes that someone could use to slip past them, but try as she may the security plans looked perfect, in fact they seemed to be too perfect.

As they walked back to the car Steve's phone rang, when they slid into the vehicle he answered it. "Chin, what's up?" He asked as he put it on speaker.

"A parking valet at the hotel recognized that woman from the picture I composited." Chin said as the pair listened intently. "He says he remembers her not only because she was uniquely beautiful, but also because she pulled up in a battered old Ford Taurus, slipped him $50 and asked him to keep it out front. According to him it was an interesting paradox."

"Okay, tell us you got a plate." Jo said as she leaned over the phone a bit.

"Yeah, I did. Hotel logs plates whenever a car checks in. It's for insurance purposes. I'm heading to the house now with HPD backup."

"Perfect we'll meet you there." Steve said. He then looked at Jo as he started the car. "Look, I'm going to take you back to HQ, I need you to keep an eye out for when General Pak arrives."

"Steve, didn't you notice the plan was too fault-proof?" She questioned.

"Yes," He said. "That's why I need you – with your knowledge about all of this – to be our eyes." He looked at her again. "Can you do that without arguing too much?" He questioned.

"You make it seem like all I do is argue." She smirked.

"You know what I mean." He said.

She nodded. "Yes, I know what you mean."


	14. Explode

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or the places mentioned, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

Oh man, I am so sorry I've been gone this long, you see I've been rather busy with school and stuff and I just didn't have the time to write, but now I have free time and I can! Anyways, here's a nice chapter for you, full of adventure and violence... mind you there's a bit of gore towards the end of the chapter, it's probably not best for the squeamish. Reviews are welcome, darlings!

* * *

Nick was obviously very good with what he did, she couldn't seem to find anything that would make him seem suspicious. She let out a quiet huff as she planted her elbows on her desk and she stared off silently. She jumped slightly when her phone began to ring, she answered it. "Hello?"

"Hard at work or Hardly working?" Danny asked in response.

"Ha-ha." She said. "What's up?"

"We found a guy that might be of interest." He said. "Nae Shan."

"Nae Shan, what's his story?" She asked.

"He was a former member of General Pak's army that defected to Thailand, and then he came here. He's been photographed at several protests against General Pak. And HPD has him on multiple arrests, including weapons sales." Danny replied.

"Who's questioning him?"

"We are currently tailing him, did you find anything on 'Nick'." He asked.

"Nothing, how the hell does one guy make himself seem like such a saint?" She questioned. "Something is definitely off."

"Well, keep poking around, you don't know what you can find." He said.

"Yeah, no joke."

He hung up and left her to her work. Chin walked in a short while later. "Jo, you've got to come see this." He said.

She got up and followed him. "So I ran the picture I was able to composite through the system… However, I've had no luck with the assassin's photo canvass. No hits at the airport or marinas yet. Prints from the hotel room match prints from the dead woman's home. It's the same killer. And we also got a hit from the Interpol Red Notice –" She noticed Chin was also talking on the phone. "CIA, it's a locked NFN file - National Security. Even you don't have the clearance required to view it." She assumed he was talking to Steve.

"CIA?" She said aloud, Chin put the phone on Speaker and he placed it on the work table. At that moment they walked in and Danny's arms were swinging.

"So our Assassin's CIA?" he said.

"I'm betting Ex-CIA." Jo offered.

"So does anyone know anyone that can open a locked CIA file?" Kono asked.

Steve hesitated as he looked at Jo. "I might." He said.

"Do you have to?" She said.

"Got no choice – even if you don't trust him we're going to have to give him a visit." Steve said.

"Fine, whatever." She said.

He left to his office, Danny rounded on her. "So?"

"I still can't find anything – but maybe that's just it – he doesn't want me to find anything." She replied.

"What are you to going on about?" Chin asked.

"We're checking up on Nick." Danny said. "Because we don't trust him."

Chin gave them a look, Jo rolled her eyes. "This is why I didn't tell you – because you were bound to give me that look… look, that guy – something feels so off about him." She said. When Steve emerged again they all left with him, Jo climbed into the back of Danny's car as Steve sat in the driver's seat.

They were back at the hotel, there were more protesters now then there was before, they stepped out and went to find Nick who nodded to them when he saw them. "Back again?" He said to Jo.

"That's getting so old." She sneered.

Steve pulled her back and Danny stood beside her. "Nick, we ran the assassin's prints and composite through the databases and got a hit." Nick turned his attention to Steve who continued, "got a hit at Langley."

"Langley?" Nick questioned, looking surprised.

"How long was she with the Company?" Steve asked.

"We don't know anything about her." Nick responded. "I mean, it's a locked file." He added.

"But, uh, was kinda hoping you could help." Steve said.

"A locked file goes all the way to the top," Nick told him, "but I may know someone that can unlock it. I'll make a call." He stepped away from them and left the three to each other.

Danny let out a dry laugh. "Come here for a second." He told Steve. "I mean, it must be really nice having friends that can open a top secret CIA black file."

"Yeah, it is." Steve replied.

"You don't find that suspicious?" Jo asked.

"I'm sorry. Is there a question?" Steve challenged them. "What do you want to know?"

"Who is that guy?" Danny asked.

"Before he worked private security," Steve began, "Nick was Special Activities Division. SAD is the military arm of the CIA."

"I thought you guys were Navy SEALs?" Danny said.

"SEALs have Divisions…" Jo said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Soldiers tend to get recruited by their Specialties… whatever Unit they need – they will recruit in to." She remembered Sam telling her that a while ago, it seemed like it had been ages since she had seen him last. "At least, that's how I got it from Sam.'

Steve nodded in confirmation.

"Are you gonna answer any one of my questions?" Danny asked, his tone was frustrated. Jo had been in the system long enough to know that there were probably some questions Steve couldn't answer.

"What do you want to know?" Steve asked as he rolled his eyes.

"What was his specialty?" Danny asked.

"It's classified information, Danny." Steve replied.

"Okay. What was your specialty?" Danny tried.

"I can't tell you that either." Steve said.

Danny looked annoyed. "Okay, please, you have done this before. Where was that? When exactly was that?"

Steve was starting to look agitated, Jo simply watched, not really knowing what to say – it was rare to see someone like Steve in their element, because their element was more often than not dangerous beyond comprehension. It slightly put her on edge – just what were they dealing with? Sure they were trying to keep General Pak safe… but how dangerous was this case about to get?

"I worked the other side." Steve said simply.

Jo's frowned. "The other side's a sniper rifle platoon, isn't it?" She asked.

"Was that your specialty?" Danny asked.

Steve was about to say something but Nick appeared again. "Her name is Erica Raines." He said to them. "She was with the Company for nine years. Recruited right out of college, a virtual ghost in the community. She's a mechanic and a very good one."

"A mechanic?" Danny asked.

"That's 'CIA' for an assassin." Jo said quietly.

"Mechanic." Danny said in disbelief before he laughed. "Okay, look. Nick, can you just do me a favor and just stop? All right? From now on, the Company is the CIA. Right? The mechanic is the assassin, and please, let's stop referring to what you people do as 'the community.' You're not a community. The Amish people, they have a community. Let's just say what things are, please?"

Jo let out a huff. "What was her specialty?" She asked.

"She specialized in seducing her targets and killing 'em." Nick said.

"Bit of a Femme Fatale then?" She said.

"She had an op go bad in Jordan, went off the grid for two years. Next time she appeared on the Agency's radar she was a gun for hire with no loyalty to any government or organization." Nick said.

Steve saw Jo bristle a bit at the mention of Jordan. "What year was this?" She asked.

"2006." He said.

She thought about it, 2006 was the year her cousin was staying in Jordan, his operations had begun to gain strength – and she had heard of a failed attempt to get to him, the result was the death of her father.

This woman had tried to kill her cousin – but she failed… now she had gone rogue. Danny looked concerned. "Jo? You okay?"

"I'm fine." She said.

Steve grabbed his phone when it began to ring, Chin was on the line so he put it on speaker. "We got a hit on our picture canvass. She's been spotted at Aloha Tower buying a ticket for Josephine Cruise Lines." He said.

"Okay, so she's trying to escape to another island. And fly out from there. We need her alive. She's our only link to whoever's behind this assassination plot." Steve said.

Jo noticed something odd, someone was keeping an eye on her in the distance. He looked inconspicuous, but there were things about him that told her he was – in fact – watching her.

His shoes, for one, were nice. He was probably paid a lot, either he didn't have a job outside of an office – or his boss wanted everyone to look their finest.

He wore a white shirt that was rolled up at the sleeves, and black dress-pants – he could be a business man, he looked to be of Middle-Eastern descent, there were black circles under his eyes – either he didn't sleep much – or he had a high-pressure job – dressed like that – she would say maybe he was a body guard, there were no visible signs of weapons on him, his pants were cuffed, his left pocket slightly bulged, not a phone, that was clipped to his belt, but something soft – maybe a cloth handkerchief. His knuckles were callused – he did fighting – maybe he trained in his personal time.

What was distinct about him was the fact she that this wasn't the first time she's seen him.

Now that she thought of it, she could recall the times she'd seen him – when she first arrived to Hawaii, before she was attacked.

It was possible that this man worked for her cousin, he was the right age – since her cousin tended to work with men around his age, he claimed it kept things fresh.

"Jo, are you even listening?" Danny said.

"I – uhh… I've got to do something." She said. "Look, how about I stick around here – and check on the security detail why you guys go after Erica?" She asked.

"Are you sure?" Steve said.

"Yeah – I'm sure." She said.

He gave her a look and she just made a face. "Go." When they left she walked past the man and further into the hotel, it didn't take him very long to follow her, the man seemed to notice something was off.

She figured he was an amateur, none of her cousin's men would ever have been caught be her that way, she began to run as she formulated a plan, the corridor was full of pillars jutting out so she quickly ducked behind one that ended at a turn, he stopped to look at her and that is when she attacked using the fire hydrant that hung above her. She hit him in the face and he fell to the ground.

He cried out in pain as she turned him so that she had his arms pinned behind his back. "Did he send you?" She hissed at him.

"The clock is ticking." He sneered.

"What are you talking about?!" She yelled at him.

He just laughed and tried to buck her off, instead she punched him in the back of the head, effectively knocking him out.

She stood back and huffed before she cuffed him. She called Steve and huffed. "Jo?"

"When you can, meet me at the Hotel again please." She said.

"On our way." He said.

About ten minutes later Danny and Steve joined her. "Holy –" Danny said. "Did you do that?" The man looked like a pulpy mess.

"We woke up and tried to run off." She said with a shrug. "I'm surprised he could get up at all with his hands cuffed." She grinned.

"And are you okay?" Steve asked.

"I'm fine – but I think he's working for Badir." She said. "His voice sounded familiar, he might be the man that attacked me."

"Might – why the hell are you using might?" Danny said. "And if this guy's innocent?"

She shrugged. "I'll pay for his hospital bill."

"I was right, you two are a match made in hell." Danny threw his hands up in exasperation.

"Well, we don't have time to question him, we have to go meet General Pak at the airport, we'll take him to a holding cell at HQ and head out."

"Sounds good to me." Jo said with a shrug.

Once they had him locked up in a holding cell they went out, Jo changed her shirt since it had blood on it, she then got into the car with Steve and Danny. They were being escorted in black SUV's and Jo was behind the wheel after much begging and pleading. She had proved herself to be a capable driver before, and they knew should anything happen she could handle the situation.

Danny still scowled at the memory of her stopping a plane with his car.

They stood together as the massive plane landed, from it the General emerged, with him was a gentle looking woman, and a boy.

"Let me ask you a question," Danny said as Jo put her hands in her pockets. "What kind of an animal brings his wife and his kid to a place where he knows people are trying to kill him?"

"The kind that loves a good photo op." Chin replied.

"Yeah. He wants people to see him as a father and husband, not a mass murderer." Kono added

"Hey, did you get anything off the assassin's phone?" Danny asked Chin.

"No. HPD's scrubbing it now." He replied.

"All right, look sharp." Steve said. "Jo, I want you to drive when we transfer the General and his family." He said. "Tinted windows – you won't get recognized."

"Got it." She said.

He handed her a pair of fingerless black leather gloves – specifically made for people that drove race-cars – it was obvious he was worried something was going to happen.

The General, his wife, and Son climbed into the black SUV, Jo climbed into the driver's seat as Steve climbed into the passenger seat and Kono sat in the back with them. Jo put the gloves on and adjusted them on her hands as she started the car, within moments the convoy was on the move.

As she drove Steve's phone rang, he answered it. "Taylor?" He said after a while. "Are you sure?" Jo's ears pricked at this. He hung up. "Jo, I am so sorry I doubted you." He said.

"We've been compromised – haven't we?" She muttered.

He nodded and she looked in the mirror, Nick was in the car behind them. "Think you can shake them?" He asked.

"Probably not, that guy looks like he could turn this thing into scrap metal in seconds – but It won't hurt to try." She gripped the wheel tightly. "Sir, Ma'am – you might want to fasten yourselves in." She said.

They quickly obeyed and then she sped off down the first right, not moments later shots rang out, Jo spat out a curse when her side mirror flew off, she made a sharp turn, the tires whistled as she did and the car behind them was in hot pursuit. Steve was rapidly talking to Danny on the phone as she focused on her driving. Chin was driving another car and he was trying to deter Nick and his crew. She didn't even notice when another car came out of nowhere and she crashed into it.

Steve cursed as he got out of the car, for the speed they were going it the damage was not as bad as it should have been.

"JO!" He yelled.

"I'm fine!" She growled angrily. "That son of a –" She broke off. "We need to get to safety –"

Steve saw she had a cut on her forehead, everyone else looked a bit worn out. Chin skidded to a halt as he and Danny burst out of the truck. "Take our truck – go, go, go!" Chin yelled.

Jo nodded. "Danny, Kono you get the General and his family into the truck." She said.

"Are you okay to drive?" Steve said as she got into the driver's seat.

"Yeah, now I'm just really, really annoyed." She said dryly. "QUICK! GET IN!" She yelled for them.

They quickly ran into the SUV and Danny climbed into the trunk as they raced off.

"Jo, you know where to go." Steve said.

She nodded and sped off without glancing back, it would only distract her, and she needed to keep her whole attention on her driving as she tried to ignore the throbbing in her head. She stopped at the house and everyone got out and rushed into the house.

"Will we be safe here?" Danny asked. "Has Nick ever been here?"

"No." Steve said. "We'll hole up here until HPD SWAT gets here." Jo stepped out of the SUV and she leaned against it. " All right, Kono, there's a first aid kit in the kitchen. Get it and do what you can." He added.

Kono nodded and she ran into the house.

"Danny, secure the back door." Steve said.

"On it." Danny said as he walked off.

Steve went to Jo. "Are you hurt?"

"Aside from the obvious?" She asked with a grin. "I'm fine."

"Let's get that cut cleaned." He said as he put an arm around her. "You did good."

"Thanks boss." She said as they walked into the house. He led her into the kitchen and sat her down as he grabbed some things from Kono who went to see to the General's family.

Steve began to tend to her wound as he spoke on the phone at the same time. "This is Steve McGarrett, Five-O. I got shots fired Multiple agents down at scene Mokulua Drive. Send HPD SWAT to Piikoi Street. Inform all HPD officers that Nick Taylor is the target."

He tossed the phone down and cleaned the cut. "Maybe next time you'll listen to me." She said.

"Maybe I will." He said as his thumb brushed her cheek absently. She got up and grabbed a gun from Danny. The trio walked out and the General stood it. "It won't be long now." Steve informed him.

"Your team saved my life." The General said. "Why?"

"It's our job." Steve said. He then turned to Jo. "Jo, I want you to keep a look-out from the attic." He said.

"With this?" She said as she shook the rifle. "Scope's not even that great."

He gave her a look.

"Come on, I bet you're going to have Kono up there too." She said. "Woman's work, give me the sniper rifle."

"You sound like a maniac." Danny said.

"I'm trying to do my job." She replied.

"Fine, follow me." Steve said.

She followed him and he went into a hidden closet of sorts. He pulled out a gun. "Let me guess – you used this in the days of the Other Side?" She said as she looked through the scope.

"Sort of." He said. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Steve… it's like you don't know me at all." She teased.

"Or I know you too well," he said. "I'm serious Jo, nothing stupid – don't be a Hero."

She grinned and began to head upstairs but he grabbed her hand to stop her, she froze and looked down at their hands before she looked up at him.

"I mean it." He said. He handed her a headset so that she could communicate with them.

"I know." She said as she pulled her hand from her grip. "You should go, Danny's terrorizing the terrorist." She smiled reluctantly as she watched him walk away.

She set up the gun in the window of the attic as she kept an eye on the surrounding area.

A while later cars came into the area, several of them. She put the headset on and she hit a button. "Those aren't HPD." She said through it.

"Jo," Steve said. "Taylor's killed everyone's signal and he cloned mine."

Her eyes widened. "What does that mean?" She said.

"It means – I wasn't talking to HPD – I was talking to his team." He said. "See if you can take anyone out."

"Roger." She said. "I've got a visual on them – not much, but I think I might get someone, but send someone to back me up."

"I'm sending Danny upstairs."

She fell silent as she loaded the rifle and then she ducked as she looked through the scope, she spotted one figure and aimed for somewhere she wouldn't kill them – just seriously wound them. She pushed the trigger and got one through his shoulder, this made them open fire on the house. Before long Kono joined her with another rifle and she set up as quickly as she could, they shot back, but the targets kept moving around, all they did was clip a few.

They were both surprised when a man burst in and he knocked the guns out of their hands both women got up and he swung a gun and shot, they both ducked and barreled into him sending him flying out the window. They both cringed when they heard a sickening crunch. "You head downstairs," Jo said. "I'll secure the window and keep an eye here, maybe I can keep them from getting to close to the house."

Kono nodded and grabbed the rifle again before she left Jo.

Before long HPD finally arrived – and the ordeal was over.

She shut the window and she let out a sigh as she grabbed her things and she headed downstairs where Steve was checking in on the others. "Is everything okay down there?" She asked.

"Everything is good." Steve said as he looked up at her.

She smiled as she leaned on the rail. "So, next time – are you going to listen to us?" She asked as she joined him.

"You have the permission to hit me if I don't." He said as he put an arm around her shoulders.

"I doubt you'd feel it anyways." She grinned.

Once General Pak and his family were safely escorted away, the team was finally able to relax. However, Jo had to do something about the man they had back in HQ, she supposed he could wait another day.

They began to clean up and put everything away. She saw the wall was full of bullet holes. "Looks like we're going to be busy for the next couple of days." She said.

"Yeah, no joke." He said with a grin.

She shook her head and righted some furniture that had been knocked down, she noticed he looked upset, especially when Kono and Danny left and he retreated to the Lanai to sit down.

She let out a sigh as she walked over to the Lanai, she leaned against the frame and she watched him for a bit. "It's not your fault, you know." She said.

"I should have listened to you." He said.

"He was someone you knew longer than the both of us – naturally it's his word over ours." She said as she joined him.

"Well, I still should have listened – I mean…" He huffed.

"Not everyone is as good as you." She said simply. He looked at her curiously. "Some people… change." She shrugged.

"Maybe I've changed." He said simply.

"You have, but probably for the better." She let out a sigh and she stared out to the ocean. "You do realize I have to deal with that scumbag tomorrow?" She said.

"You'll do fine." He said.

"I think I'll take Chin or Kono with me, Danny doesn't agree with out tactics." She said.

"Hm." He hummed in response. She looked at him and saw he was staring at her.

She blushed. "What?"

"Thank you." He said.

"For what?" She asked.

"For you maniac driving skills." He said as he got up. "You helped save a country."

He held out his hand to her so she could get up. "Oh, you know, it's all in a day's work… out-drive some bad-guys… save a country… same old – same old." She grinned. "So, what should we do now?"

"Nothing, you head to bed." He said. "I'll stay down here a bit longer…"

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yeah, you look exhausted."

She thought he was being odd, she shrugged and then she nodded. "Alright, good night Steve."

"Night, Jumana." He said quietly as he turned to the kitchen.

Odd, he hardly ever called her by her proper name. "Night, Steve." She said gently as she climbed upstairs.

She had learned that General Pak had come to America to confess his crimes against his country, and his wife and son were there for political asylum.

She thought about that as she changed into her pajamas and she slid into bed. Her mind went to Steve as she put her hand under the pillow. What was different about him? Something seemed to be different about his whole demeanor and his attitude – just the way he dealt with her was different. She hoped it was because he was tired – the ordeal had taken a lot out of them.

The following morning she woke up achy, she got dressed and put a Hijab on, she then grabbed her boots and headed downstairs where Steve was standing in the kitchen, something smelled good. "Morning." She said. "What smells good?"

"Breakfast." He said as he watched her sit down. "Need a ride to HQ?"

"Yeah, I really need to get a car." She said. "Although – I have my bike –"

"Too much attention." He said.

"I think we're beyond that now." She teased.

"Yeah, probably." He said. "So -?"

"I guess I'll take my bike today – you look exhausted – have you slept at all?" She asked.

"No." He admitted.

"It shows." She said. "Why not?"

"Had to fix the doors, the locks got blasted off in the fight yesterday." He said. "How's your head?"

"It's fine." She said as she went to help him. She saw basic breakfast staples – toast… eggs… nothing special, and coffee.

"So, any ideas of what you might get out of the guy?" He asked.

"He might swear at me in Arabic and English." She said with a shrug. "I think I broke his nose yesterday – so I might have to be a bit forceful with interrogation." She trailed off as they sat to eat.

"You really have been in the system." He said. "Because yesterday you were…" He didn't really know how to put what he had seen into words.

"That's what running for your life does for you." She said. "And since I have friends both Navy and Army… I think I picked up a lot of things." She shrugged.

"Obviously you have." He said.

She put her fork down as she looked at him. "Steve, what's wrong?" She asked. "You've been off since last night." She frowned. "It's scaring me."

"I underestimated you." He said.

"You didn't –" She huffed. "What's going on – are you still upset about the fact that –"

"Just forget it." He said. "I guess I'm just tired."

"Right." She said. "Steve… you can talk to me if you need to talk to someone – you know… I like to listen."

"Yeah…" He said.

"Well," she said, "I should head off –" she grabbed a groceries list that had both made and she rolled it up before she shoved it into her pocket before she left. She walked around to the garage as she grabbed her helmet and she pushed out her bike, when Steve had her moved to his house Chin had brought her bike over from the place in Ala Moana.

She shoved the helmet on her head and then she got onto the bike, she kicked it into life and sped away from the house. When she arrived at HQ she walked in to find Chin and Kono waiting. "You ready?" He asked her.

She put her helmet in her office and she nodded as she placed her gun in her desk and her badge on the table. "Yeah, I'm ready." She said. "Anything on him?"

"Well, his name is Tahsin Baker, he is Syrian, previously one of Al-Assad's men, who later joined your cousin." Chin replied.

"He's one of Assad's men?" She said. "But he made such rookie mistakes."

"Guess you can ask him why." He said as he watched her roll up her sleeves.

She walked into the interrogation room. "_Good Morning!_" She greeted brightly in Arabic.

He glared at her. "Your time is up." He said.

"Oh, really now." She said. "And just who says that? Hm?" She said.

"It doesn't matter anyways." He said. "I'm going to die… and you won't get a single word out of me."

"What are you talking about –"

All of a sudden his body began to seize, a smirk touched his face despite the shuddering of his body.

"Guys – I think we might want to get out." She said as she stepped back.

"What?" Chin asked.

"Out – get out – get out!" She yelled.

They ran out and she slammed the door shut, an explosion rattled inside of the room and the door flew open sending her flying back, splatter of flesh and blood followed and showered the three of them.

"Oh God." Kono said.

"What the hell is this –"

"We need to get it off our skin. Now." She said as she grabbed them by their wrists to the showers they had, they furiously scrubbed at themselves.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" Chin yelled.

She stepped out, her clothes dripped water and blood. "Our time… it was up." She said.

"Jo, what was he talking about?" Kono asked.

They walked back to the interrogation room, blood dripped from the ceiling, it looked like a mess out of a really bad slasher flick.

"My cousin –" she said. "The last time I was able to learn anything – I heard that Badir was trying to develop a sort of Toxin Weapon."

"What do you mean?" Chin asked.

"It goes into the system – like drugs – and it stays there…"

"How do they get it out?" Kono asked.

"They don't. Obviously it's not fully developed, because if properly developed we would be dead." She frowned.

"These people –" Chin said.

"In the even they were caught by the police – they would ingest the drug via pill." Jo explained. "It takes 12 to 18 hours to kick in properly – and the body is a literal time bomb." She shook her head. "I didn't know what a contaminated body would do, that's why I told you guys to wash it off."

"Death over dishonor." Chin said in a disgusted tone.

"My cousin always had a flair for the dramatic." She said quietly. "And we lost out suspect – he must have ingested it just before I cuffed him yesterday." She shut the door. "I'm going to call Steve – Chin…"

"We'll see if we can get a clean-up crew."

She went to her office and she pulled out her phone and she dialed for Steve. "Need me already?" he asked.

"Something happened." She said quietly.

"What do you mean something happened?" He asked.

"I think you should come over and take a look – and bring me some spare clothes… please."

"Spare clothes – what?" He said.

"Just – I'll explain when you get here." She said in response.

Exactly 10 minutes later Steve arrived with the spare clothes, Chin and Kono had already changed, and Danny was on tow. "What's going on?" Steve said as he followed her into the locker room.

She changed behind a wall as he waited patiently for her, she emerged as she tugged her shirt past her hips and she motioned for him to follow.

Danny met up with them and the moment they saw the state of the room both men were speechless. "You did this?" Danny said.

"He blew up." She said. "Literally blew up!"

"I swabbed some blood to take to Max to identify what caused this…" Chin said. "Once a team gets here – they'll try to scrape what's left of him – we'll see what we can do."

Jo looked at Steve who was staring in shock at the scene. "Just what the hell are we dealing with?" He questioned.

"I thought we knew," she said. "But then this happens – and I'm afraid things just got more dangerous." She said.

"You don't say?!" Danny exclaimed.


	15. I Trust You

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or the places mentioned, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

... Does this even constitute as fluff? I have no idea... you tell me! X-D

* * *

She sat in her office with a mug of tea as she rubbed at her temples, HPD had sent over people to take care of the mess, she looked up when someone knocked on the glass door, Steve walked in and shut the door behind him as he crossed his arms. "We sent in the remains to Max." He said.

She shuddered when he said Remains. "Thanks." She said quietly.

"Jo, is there anything I should know?" He said.

She shrugged. "A lot of things, but nothing that's important." She frowned. "I didn't know he would use the drug – Steve – I swear it –"

"Will this drug be a threat to the country?" He said.

"I don't know – they're obviously still developing it – but I –" She broke off as her chin trembled. "I'm sorry –" She turned away from him and she let out a breath, he could tell she was trying to keep herself from crying.

"Jo…"

"I just don't get it." She said. "How could someone – I grew up with – be so evil? He's my cousin – my blood!" Her shoulders drooped. She let out a sigh and she got up, she swiftly walked to her file cabinet and she turned it around. "I don't know much about the drugs," she said. "But I had a man on the inside – a while ago – when they were still testing the drugs – in its early stages it would cause seizures – probably a strain of some virus – or a poison…" He could see a small thumb scanner pop out, she scanned her thumb and a tiny compartment popped out, it was thin – but enough for documents, she grabbed some files and she handed them to him. "There are some photos – and documents that we had managed to get… Apparently the more they worked on it – the more they discovered what to do – I'm assuming it's still taken orally, it goes into the blood-stream and turns the body into a bomb… he must have been really quick because our scuffle was really short." She frowned. "Steve – if this drug is developed – we will have a problem on our hands."

"What do you suggest?" He asked. "If we go after Badir – that's a suicide mission right there…"

She frowned and crossed her arms. "Steve, I'm scared – and rational options aren't making sense to me… what if he had tossed it into my mouth – what if –" She broke off and shook her head.

"Hey," he said as he put the file down and he put his hands on her shoulders. "We'll figure it out – okay?" He said.

She looked up at him and nodded.

He stepped away. "You know what I was thinking?" He said as he grabbed the file so that he could look through it.

"What?" She said.

"You've been here for a while now, but no one's taken you out to enjoy the Island's cuisine." He said.

She was amused. "Oh yeah?" He said.

He shrugged. "I happen to know a couple of good places –" He looked at her. "Since you're already living off me, I thought it would be a nice change if we ate out soon." He said and then gestured to the file. "If we're not busy tonight – maybe that would be a good idea, you know, the two of us."

She couldn't help but chuckle. "That sounds like a very casual way to ask a girl out on a date." She said.

He held up a hand. "I know you don't do the whole dating thing – plus – it's my treat – we could use with some change of scenery… preferably one that doesn't include us falling into caverns and getting concussions." He frowned at that last bit.

She laughed this time. "Alright, I'd like that." She said. "How nice are we talking?"

"Nice where you probably don't want to go in your work clothes." He said. "We'll decide after work, kay?"

She nodded and watched him leave. She grabbed her mug again and this time Danny walked in. "Alright, what the hell was that?"

"An attempt on my life?" She said.

"No, that." He pointed to Steve.

She laughed. "I love how your priorities are set straight, Danno." She said as she cradled her mug in her hand.

"I thought you were on my side." He said. "And we decided he's a big doofus."

"He is a big doofus." She said with a smile.

"Ah geez, I know that look." He said as he ran his hands over his face.

"Look?" She said.

He pointed at Steve again. "Do not make a wrong decision." He said.

"I can honestly say I don't get what you mean, now can we please talk about how I almost died?" She said as she tried to change the subject.

"No, no – you don't change the subject like that – we change it when I say so." He said.

"I don't get what's the big idea." She said. "I live with him anyways."

"It's one thing to live with him – it's another thing to actually fall for an idiot like him." He said, his hands moved a lot to emphasize his point.

"One, I don't have feelings for him. Two, I don't get why it's bothering you anyways." She retorted.

"Because – I feel sorry for whatever child will result from that union from hell!" His tone was loud now.

She blushed. "Geez, Danny." She said.

"Now, that I've said what I wanted – WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" He yelled.

"Human bomb?" She shrugged. "I don't really know, to tell you the truth."

"Does this have anything to do with your cousin?"

"I'm pretty sure it does… How are Kono and Chin?"

"They've calmed down." He said.

She nodded and placed the mug down on her desk again. A couple of minutes later Steve walked in again, Danny smirked at her before walking out. "Max just called."

"Already?" She said.

"Apparently – he was intrigued." He said.

"Man would have to be a log to not be intrigued." She muttered. She let out a sigh. "So, let's get going?"

"Let's get going." He said as he watched her grab her gun and badge.

The pair went out to Steve's truck and they got in as he drove off. Once Steve stopped driving they got out of the truck and went into the building where Max was waiting for them. "What have you got Max?" Steve asked.

"Well, I ran what was left of the man – and tested his blood and found a significant amount of C3H5N3O9 in the blood." He began, Jo felt like she was going to throw up, the remains of the man were put in a Tupperware.

"I didn't do so well in chemistry, what's C3H5N3O9?" Jo asked.

"Commonly known as Nitroglycerin." Steve replied.

"Nitroglycerin, that's what made him explosive, yeah?" Jo asked.

"Precisely, however, as I continued to analyze the blood I found other anomalies." He continued.

"Anomalies?" Steve asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it the Nitroglycerin obviously needed a trigger to set off – there was an unusually high count of iron in the blood…"

"Wouldn't a jolt set him off?" Jo asked.

"Precisely, I still can't figure out how they were able to time the explosion – and without a body, I cannot pin-point the precise time the substance was ingested."

"Around…" She looked at Steve.

"Maybe 5, you apprehended the guy around that time."

"And he… blew up – at around 10… Fifteen hours – it's been fifteen hours." Jo said.

"Is this a part of an open investigation?" Max asked.

"No." They both said in unison.

"Look, this guy was following me," Jo began. "I took him from questioning – and he just…" She shuddered at the thought. "Well, you can probably figure out the rest."

"Unfortunately I think I can." Max said. "If you would like, you can keep this here, and I can run it for more tests and see what I can find."

"Thank you so much." Jo said as they left.

Steve crossed his arms as they walked out of the building. "Obviously this attack was premature." She told Steve. "Because if it had been when it was supposed to be, I would obviously be dead by now."

He nodded as they got into the car.

"Don't worry about it right now," she said as she looked at him. "Unless there's another threat –"

He slammed his hands on the steering wheel. "Another threat?" He said. "It's obvious now that they've found you."

"You think I don't know that?" She said.

"Then leave!" He said.

"I can't do that." She said.

"And why not?"

"Because – you guys are my Ohana now." She said as she frowned at him. "You guys made me fit in – you let me in – and you protected me – and I tried to protect you guys… If I leave – you will be targeted for helping me – I can't leave."

He stopped the car and stared at her evenly.

"Look," she said. "Every time I'm moved, I have to start over – do you have any idea how hard it is to find a group of friends like you guys? People that genuinely care about each other? The last time I tried that I got sold out –" She broke off. "I don't have to keep explaining myself! I refuse to leave because of this! I'm done running! I've had enough, I'm going to bring Badir down – even if it's the last thing I do!"

He let out a sigh as he turned away and he stared out the window.

"Don't give me that, because I know – as everyone else knows – you would do the same." She said evenly.

"You're right." He said.

"Of course I am." She said.

He chuckled and shook his head as he drove off again. She crossed her arms and she sat back. "We can't do much about this… case." He said.

"That's putting it lightly."

"Well, we've got no solid evidence…" He said.

"I know." She replied.

"So, about dinner." He said.

She laughed and shook her head. "You're impossible."

"We said we'd go, we're going." He said.

"One would question your intention, Lieutenant Commander." She said lightly.

"Yeah? Let them question, nothing wrong with two friends having a night out." He said.

She chuckled. "You are absolutely 100% right." She said.

"So, tonight?" He said.

She nodded. "Fine, tonight."

"Good, because it seems like we don't have anything to do." He said. He stopped at HQ. "So?"

"I already said fine." She said as she got out. "But right now, I probably need to look at the investigation room – see if there was anything we missed."

He nodded and watched her run off.

She walked into the building and went straight for the interrogation rooms where the mess was gone, but still slightly evident. She was about to walk in but Chin stopped her. "HPD processed the room." He said.

"Did they find anything?" She asked.

"Well," he said, "yeah, they did – apparently he had a gun on him… a phone, and what's left of his clothes."

She crossed her arms and let out a sigh. "Geez…"

"I know." He said and then he crossed his arms and smirked. "What's this I hear about you and McGarrett going out on a date?"

"It's not a date!" She said as her face turned red. "Is that what Danny's telling you?"

"He seems to be under the impression that it is a date." He said simply.

"Well, it isn't – we're just two friends… going someplace – to have dinner – what we usually do – but not in the confines of the house." She said.

"Right." He said.

"Don't smirk at me." She scowled.

"I'm not smirking."

"Yes you are – you totally are!"

"I think it's cute." He said.

"Sh-Shut up!" She said.

He laughed and watched as she walked off.

That evening at the McGarrett house Steve was watching TV, he really didn't get it why it took women so long to get ready! Apparently even women that were pretty much by the book took forever to get ready.

He finally heard the stairs creek and he turned in his seat to see her looking through her purse, she wore a floral dress and a plain black cardigan with a white Hijab, it wasn't anything special – but compared to what she wore everyday – that was probably dressed to the nines for her. "You ready?" He asked.

She looked up. "Huh? Oh – yeah." She said as she dropped a pair of flip-flops onto the floor before she slid her feet into them.

"You should teach Danny how to dress." He said as he got up.

She chuckled. "I doubt he would agree to wear dresses." She said. "You can take the boy out of Jersey – you can't take Jersey out of the boy." She grinned up at him. "So, boss, where are we headed?"

"Ah –" He pointed at her. "Follow me."

She rolled her eyes and followed him out to the car, they both climbed in and he set off, she noticed he was silent the whole time. "So I was thinking about further looking into the case." She said.

"What case?" He asked.

"The case that's taking suicide to a whole new level." She said.

"So far the evidence is insubstantial – and can we not talk about work tonight." He said in response.

She laughed. "That's impossible – we always talk about work."

"Well, let's turn it off for once." He said.

"You – are the last person I would have ever expected to say those words." She said as she glanced at him. "It almost sounds like blasphemy."

"Ha – ha." He said dryly.

"But I appreciate your attempt." She grinned.

He chuckled and then pulled up at the Hilton. They both got out and they walked into the resort and he lead her to the Bali Steak and Seafood.

Once they were seated a waiter handed them menus and Jo scanned it. She honestly didn't know what she could eat – she had mostly eaten things she had made since she first arrived at the Island – or Kamekona made it for her. But that wasn't what really got her, ever since her youth – she had always been conscientious when it came to spending, her family hadn't been of extraordinary wealth, so she had always been aware of what cost too much. She could still remember going for the cheapest thing for that, and claiming it was her favorite thing ever.

She began to scan the menu, trying to choose the cheapest thing she could find – and then she thought of how she was going to pay her half of the tab.

Steve seemed to notice what she was thinking because he looked at her. "Stop it." He said.

"Stop… what?" She asked innocently.

"That look in your eye – you're not paying a single dime – and don't you dare go for the cheapest thing there –" He hesitated. "But don't go for the most expensive –"

"Steve – I –"

"Hey, you're here as my guest." He said firmly. "If you pull out your wallet I will fling it into the ocean."

She flushed. "Steve…"

"It's a look," He said. "You know how apparently I have a look – you have a look… and it looks constipated."

She hid her face behind the menu.

"You know what, give me the menu."

"What?"

"Just give me the menu, and trust me, okay?" He held out his hand.

She peered at him from over the menu and saw he was frowning expectantly. She reluctantly handed it to him and he waved for the waiter.

"Yes, what can I get you?" The young man asked.

"Okay – for starters, two each of Kahuku Corn Chowder, and then Big Island Baby Romaine, Roasted Mahi Mahi –" When Jo opened her mouth to say something he glared at her. "Shut up," he said and then he looked at the waiter again. "One Roasted Hamakua Mushrooms – and give her some Jasmine rice – please make sure that no alcohol touches the food for religious reasons –" He pointed to Jo. "What do you want to drink?"

She was surprised at his sudden question. "Uh… Lemonade is fine."

"Lemonade for the lady, and since I'm with her, I'll have the same."

"Alright," the man said with a smile before he left.

"What are you doing?" She asked him.

"What am I doing?" He asked. "You looked like you wanted the Mahi Mahi."

"I'm not even going to ask how you figured that one out." She said.

He studied her for a while as he sat back. "Look, since you came to the Island you haven't had a chance to really enjoy it."

"Maybe I have." She said defiantly.

"Yeah, I doubt it." He said. "Look, could you just shut up and have a good time?"

She fell silent as he crossed his arms and looked away. "You're right," she said with a shrug. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apolo –"

"Thank you." She said. This made him shut up. Instead this time he looked curious. "You went out of your way to ensure I have a good time – which is more than anyone has ever done – so thank you…" She wet her lips. "So, can we please talk about something else now?"

He chuckled. "We'll talk about something else – and not work."

She shook her head and sat back. "So, Catherine Rollins –" She started.

"You're still holding on to that? I told you, you're jealous." He teased.

She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Seriously, man." She said. "I'm living with you, I should probably know that sort of thing, don't you?"

"Yeah, probably." He said. "Except there's nothing there."

"Riiiight." She said dryly.

"What do you think there is?" He questioned.

She shrugged. "I'm sure she does favors for you, and you don't pay back in cash."

"That's one way to put it." He said with a chuckle.

"But seriously –"

"Why are you so insistent?" He asked.

"I'm bored – and I'm obviously never going to have a love life – so I'm going to meddle in everyone else's." She replied with a shrug.

He shook his head. "That's unhealthy!"

"Yeah, sue me." She said. "So?"

He shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "Haven't seen her much lately… I keep telling you it's nothing."

"Oh…" She said. "Don't you get lonely?"

"Kind of hard to do that when you're babysitting someone that demands attention all the time." He said as he gestured to her. "Honestly, you're like a puppy!"

"Either you're calling me a dog – or cute." She smirked.

"And there you go – finding a way to turn that around." He said.

She chuckled as she shrugged. They both fell silent for a long time as she watched the other people that were there, she glanced at him and saw that he was watching her.

Their silence was broken when the first of their dinner arrived.

A short while later Steve was laughing as Jo protested. "Come on! Try them!" He insisted.

"No!" She said as she tried to keep him from shoveling mushrooms onto her plate.

"Just try them, I swear you'll like them –"

"I don't eat fungus." She pushed his hand away. "So stop trying to convince me."

"Come on – just one." He said.

"Never." She said.

"Jo."

"No."

"Jumana." He said evenly, though laughter was still evident in his voice. "Try it."

She scowled. "No."

"You're such a child." He said.

"Stop treating me like one." She said.

He laughed and held out his fork. "Come on – just one bite." He said.

She looked at him and then she grumbled as she took his fork and ate the bit on it before she passed it back, he watched with an amused look as her face contorted. "You really don't like mushrooms." He said.

"No!" She said when she forced herself to swallow the bite. "I love the soup – I hate the fungus."

He shook his head and laughed. "You're unbelievable." He said.

She sipped her drink. "Don't ever make me do that again!" She declared.

He shook his head and laughed as she scowled at him. "What do you have against mushrooms?" He asked.

"They smell weird when you cook them, the texture is all of –"

"Texture – you kidding me?" He said.

"The texture –"

"These are a delicacy –"

"Well, my friend, all I see is the cousin of Athlete's Foot." She said. "There, I said it, I didn't want to say it – but you forced me."

"Athlete's Foot." He said. "Is that the best you can come up with?" He questioned.

"Sorry." She didn't sound apologetic at all. "You forced me."

"You couldn't say – I don't know –"

"Mold?"

He grabbed a mushroom and he shoved it into his mouth. "Fungus tastes good." He said.

She gagged and went back to her own dinner.

After dinner they went right back to the house, the pair went out back to sit on the beach, Jo pulled her knees to her chest as she listened to the waves, the nostalgia brought her a nice sort of calm. "It must have been nice to grow up here…" She said as she looked at him.

"I guess it could have been." He said in response.

She frowned in confusion.

"I was shipped off to Mainland when I was sixteen, I went to military school, and Mary went somewhere else." He said. "That day we met – was my first day back since."

"Whoa…" She said. "… Would I be prying if I were to ask why?"

He shook his head. "My mom was killed in a car-crash." He replied. "So, dad sent us off…"

"Sounds like there's more to this story." She said as she put her feet down in the sand.

He hesitated and then he got up. "Follow me." He said as he watched her get up. Together they walked into the house. "What I'm about to show you – only Chin knows about it…" He said as he glanced back at her.

From a locked drawer he pulled out a red tool-box that said Champ. "What is this?" She asked.

He motioned for her to wait as he unlocked it and from it he pulled out various things, a key, a microcassette, postcards, a cigarette butt in an evidence bag, a coin, a stack of business cards, a floppy disk, a photo of a burned car, and a postcard that was unique. It had stick figures on it. "Hey, this is a cipher." She said.

"A cipher?" He asked.

She nodded. "In Sherlock Holmes, there was a case called the Adventure of the Dancing men – you see this is probably a substitution cipher…" She frowned as she stared at the card. "Do you have a key?" She asked.

"Key?"

"Like – it could be in a book – a letter, that would help you unlock the code."

He shook his head. "No key…"

She went through the stuff. "Steve, what is all of this?" She asked.

"My father was investigating my mother's death…" He said.

"Let me guess – the car wasn't an accident." She said as she sat down on a chair.

He nodded as he pulled out the Microcassette.

"_When he was five years old, I asked my son Steve what he wanted to be when he grew up. 'I want to be a cop dad, like you.' I told him, 'Be anything but that.' The life of a cop is not easy, it's not that I'm not proud of the work that I did, but more than anything, I have…regrets. The toll that it took on my family, the way it hurt them, it's something I think about every day. Now I'm alone here. Losing my wife was almost unbearable, but giving up my kids, that…just broke me. I'm so proud of them, but they never know it. I missed so much of their lives, watching them grow up and all, but I guess that's just the way it has to be, till I figure this out_" The voice from the Microcassette spoke, Jo realized she had been listening to Steve's father.

"Figure what out?" She asked as she looked at Steve.

"I don't know – The last thing on this is…" He hit the button again.

_"I can't continue the investigation in the police department from the inside, I don't trust the people I work with, so I'm gonna have to do this on my own. It's all about the key, I just don't know what it's for, I haven't been able to…"_

He stopped the recording. "The rest is garbled." He said.

"The key…" She said gently.

They both fell into silence as Jo looked at the pictures, through the post-cards, and at the key.

"Jo, my dad died for this." He said after a long while.

"The day we met…" She said quietly.

"I was in South Korea… looking for Anton Hesse, him – and his brother – Victor, I had been chasing them around for almost five years when I found Anton…" He began to put the things away. "We had him – and we were headed back here – and then I got a call – Victor has my dad." He locked the toolbox. "Anton – was accidentally killed in a cross-fire – since we had been ambushed – and in return –" He fell silent.

"Steve –"

"Someone is behind all of this Jo, my dad died trying to figure it out – I need to figure out… because whoever my dad was after – is probably the person behind my mother's death." He pointed to the box.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" She said.

It wasn't that she didn't like being in the loop, Steve always struck her as the type of man to have his secrets, the fact he was telling her this much was… strange.

"Isn't that what we do?" He asked her. "We trust each other with things?"

She studied him for a long time, she realized she had been so focused on her own troubles and her own dangers she never thought that Steve would have trouble of his own. She studied him as he watched her evenly. "You trust me?" She asked evenly.

"I let you live in my house – of course I trust you." He said.

His words, though simple, felt like a thousand ton punch to the stomach. She looked away as she clasped her hands in her lap.

"Jo?"

"Thank you." She said quickly.

"Why are you thanking me?" He asked.

"Because, you don't even realize what you guys are all doing to me." She said as she hid her face, she didn't know why she felt weepy – but there were tears in her eyes. "You trust me."

"Hey –" He said.

"I'm going to bed." She said as she sprung up and she raced upstairs into her room, leaving him standing there – not really understanding what had just happened.

She stepped into the room she was staying in before she shut the door and then she sunk to the ground as she pressed her palms to her face. What was it about these people that made her so upset whenever she saw them in pain?

Jo had met many people, many of them she knew were not friends that she would be around for too long so she never was emotionally attached to any of them – and then she came to Hawaii, and these people starting calling her Ohana – and now Steve – it was more than her heart could really bear.

And now this development with Steve – him telling her about his parents – the fact that he and Mary had been separated so long ago, she had never in her life felt so sorry for anyone.

And yet, the look on Steve's face – when he told her he trusted her… it made something in her heart clench terribly. But he had said it himself 'I trust you', it was in that moment she told herself she wanted to help him no matter what it took so she could help him solve that mystery – just like he was helping her – she wanted to help him.

After all, they trusted each other.


	16. Confusion

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or the places mentioned, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

First of all I want to apologize for my absence! I know it's been a very long time since I posted last but I've been incredibly busy and hopefully this is the start of a more consistent updating schedule.

* * *

The McGarrett home looked like a battlefield, Steve decided that they probably needed to fix it up since it had gotten pretty messed up in the fight from a couple of days back when they risked their lives to save the General Pak. That was why the very first thing Steve asked Jo when he walked in for breakfast was how handy she was.

"Handy?" she asked as she stared up at him.

"Which end of a hammer should you use –"

"I'm not an idiot," she stated simply.

"I mean – if we work on the house today… since it's our day off," he shrugged.

"If I can handle a sniper rifle, I think I can handle a hammer," she stated. "Where are we going to get the wood?"

"I'm going to have to give Kamekona a call," Steve stated.

"You do that," she said as she downed the rest of her breakfast, "I'll get changed so that we can work."

About an hour later they were both carrying wood in as Kamekona brought it to them, "You know I think we should have gone with better wood," Jo stated simply.

"Or you could hire my brothers," Kamekona stated simply as he sat down.

"We're not hiring your brothers," Steve said dryly, "Jo and I can handle this…"

"Men are so bullheaded," Jo said as she checked the wood, Steve rolled his eyes and took his shirt off to reveal a white wife-beater, he handed her a hammer and then he set a ladder up before they got to work. Kamekona, on the other hand, contented himself with watching them as Jo situated herself atop the ladder and Steve handed her the panels of wood.

"Tired yet?" Kamekona questioned as the rhythmic thumping of the hammer filled the room.

"I'm not hiring your brothers. Okay?" Steve insisted.

"Best contractors on the island, brah. Save you the sweat," Kamekona said.

"And doing it ourselves will save me the money," Steve retorted.

"You come around, and when you do, I'll be right here to make that call," Kamekona grinned.

Jo couldn't help but grin as she watched Steve walk away to talk to Kamekona, she stepped down the ladder and put her hammer down.

"All right, Kamekona? You want to hang around, that's fine. Why don't you pick up a hammer and make yourself useful?" Steve said as Jo walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

"I already help," Kamekona said proudly, "You come to me to cut you a deal on the wood... This the best on the island."

"You mean this?" Steve asked as he shook the wood.

"You get what you paid for, brah," Kamekona shrugged.

"You did want the cheaper wood," she reasoned.

"Yeah, no one asked you," he said as he pointed at her.

"This stuff don't grow on trees," Kamekona added.

Jo chuckled at the absurdity of his statement before the front door opened and Danny walked in, "Yo!" he called out.

"Morning," Jo greeted with a grin.

"Howzit, haole," Kamekona greeted happily.

"Baby Huey. What's good?" Danny said before he turned his attention to Steve, "What's the matter with you, huh? We got a situation. I've been calling you like you owe me money."

"What are you talking about?" Steve asked, "I didn't hear my phone..."

"And yours is out of service," he pointed at Jo.

"Um... I accidentally cut it in half," she said as she held up two halves of a phone.

"You should not be allowed a cellphone," he stated.

"Wait, you called me phone, I didn't hear my phone -" Steve began.

"Called you like five, six times," Danny added.

"Like a needy girlfriend?" Jo offered.

"I believe you," Steve said, "I didn't hear my phone, I left it right over here. Where's my phone, you see my phone? Jo? Did you see my phone?" he asked.

"Oh. Oh... Sorry," Kamekona said as he pulled it out from beneath him.

"You didn't feel that vibrating?" Danny asked. "Ever?"

"Oh, that's what it was," he said, "here -" he handed the phone to Steve.

"You know what? Keep it..." Steve said, "Jo, go get dressed so we can head out with Danny."

"Fun," she said before she grabbed the pieces of her phone and then she ran upstairs, Danny crossed his arms.

"So?" he said.

"So, what?" Steve said as he went to put some of the tools away.

"Your date -"

"It wasn't a date," Steve said.

Danny scoffed, "You're looking pretty sweet on her," he commented.

"I'm not - what the hell does that even mean?" Steve asked.

Danny shrugged, "What? She's a relatively attractive woman - you're telling me -"

"Relatively?" Steve said, "Danny - you're insensitive."

"Please prove me otherwise, Casanova," Danny challenged him.

"I need to get dressed," Steve said before he left Kamekona and Danny. Five minutes after he left Jo emerged with a new phone in one hand and a gun in the other.

"Where did you even get that from?" he asked.

"Uncle Sam likes to give me phones," she stated, "this is a spare."

"I see," he stated simply before Steve joined them.

"Let's go," Steve said.

She noticed Steve didn't look very amused with Danny, she turned to Kamekona, "Something happen while I was gone?" she asked.

"You know what -"

Steve grabbed her arm as he gently pulled her out of the house, "Let's go."

She waved to Kamekona, "Laters brah!" she called out.

The three filed into the car and then Steve took off, within minutes they joined Kono and Chin. "What happened?" Steve said as they all looked around the area..

"It's an armored car heist. Two dead, one hanging by a thread. Kid's name is Jordan Townsend. He's 25." Chin showed Danny an ID.

"This kid looks like he's 12," Danny frowned.

"What else we got?" Steve asked.

"Eyewitnesses say everything happened real fast. All they can remember is that the shooters were dressed like painters. Some say there were two, some say there were ten. You know how that goes," chin said.

"Every person has a different story to tell," Jo said as she left to go talk to Kono while Danny went to go talk to one of the HPD.

"So, how was your date?" Chin asked Steve.

Steve looked annoyed, "Are we really going to talk about that right now?" he asked.

"Just asking brah," Chin said innocently, "she certainly looked excited for it yesterday."

"Really?" Steve asked.

"No," Chin said with a devious grin.

Kono and Jo wen to talk to the company representative, Kono couldn't help herself, "Heard you went on a date with the boss," she said.

Jo blushed, "It wasn't a date - it was just two friends out for dinner," she said.

Kono gave her an amused look, "Really?" she asked.

"Yes, really, can we please get back to work?" she demanded.

Kono couldn't help but laugh at her friend's reaction before they turned their attention back to the rep. He was waiting for them patiently, "Hello sir, we're officers Kalakaua and Hassan from Five-0, we just wanted to ask you som questions about the jacking..."

"Of course," he said.

Jo studied the man, he was middle-aged, balding, probably of Asian descent, "How much money did they take?" Kono asked.

As the man spoke Jo couldn't help but analyze him. "But the money was marked," he explained, it was a part of this new system we've implemented - if that helps..."

"Actually, that will be a lot of help," Kono said as she patted Jo's shoulder, "Let's tell the boys."

"All right, don't cancel your lunch plans... We might be wrapping this one up sooner than you think," Kono informed them.

"Really?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. I just talked to the company rep. Aeko Kula Security tags each bag of cash with a tracking device," Kono explained as she pulled out her phone.

"Cash is LoJacked," Danny said, sounding impressed.

"Yeah. It's all part of some new secret security protocol that started a couple weeks ago. And you know what? We have a hit -" she showed them her phone, on it she had GPS and she had tracked down the truck. "All we got to do now is follow the money," Kono grinned.

"Right, let's get going," Steve said as they all went back to the carrs.

She noticed Steve was acting a bit rigidly, "Is everything okay?" she asked when she slid into the car.

"Fine," he said.

She frowned and then she looked at Danny who was smirking, "What are you smirking about, Jersey?" she asked.

"Oh, if you only knew."

Steve glared at him but they said nothing as they drove after Kono, eventually they came to the pier,

"Are you sure this is the place?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, the signal from the cash is coming from right here," Kono said.

"Anyone up for a swim?" Kono asked.

"Ah, forgot to bring my board shorts," Danny said, though he didn't sound remorseful at all.

"Looks like the rookie is going swimming," Chin snickered.

"I'll go with you," Steve offered.

"I'll go too," Jo said.

"Very nice of you," Danny commented as they walked back to the car, Jo adjusted her hijab so that it tied around her head and then she removed her shoes and socks as Kono and steve prepared themselves for the swim.

"Sure you don't want to come for a swim?" Steve asked as he handed Jo a pair of goggles.

"No, you go ahead, uh... with your pants. I'll just be here with a dry towel." Danny retorted as they walked to the edge of the pier.

Jo grinned, "You're such a party pooper Danno," she said before the trio jumped into the salty water.

They spotted the van below and Steve gestured to the women as they nodded and continued their dive to the abandoned van, when they got to it Steve wrenched the doors open and they saw three bags, each one of them took a bag and then they swam upwards.

By the time they broke the surface Jo's lungs were burning for air, each gasp was sweeter than the one before, "You okay?" Steve smirked.

"Don't act like you're fine," she said as they swam to a ladder where Chin and Danny met them.

"We found the money," Steve said as they climbed out.

"And the truck," Jo added as they removed their gear.

"They drove it right off the pier," Kono explained.

"That was pretty smart," Chin said.

"Without the tracking device in the cash, we might never have found it." Kono added as they walked closer to Danny and Chin.

"Uh, no chance the shooters are in there, right?" Danny asked hopefully.

"Trunk was empty, doors were open," Steve shook his head.

"I get dumping the truck, but why the money?" Chin asked.

"Maybe it wasn't about the money," Jo said as they began to walk to the cars.

"You might need to call HPD," Steve said.

"We'll get on that, you guys change," Chin said.

The three walked off to the car, "Hey - Kono," Jo said suddenly.

"I got ya covered sistah," Kono chuckled as she handed Jo some dry clothes, "You really need to learn to pack spare..."

"To be fair, Steve kind of dragged me out of the house this morning... Kamekona was sitting on his phone..." She quickly changed when she was sure no one was looking, she realized she would have to make due with a wet Hijab.

"What happened to your phone?" Kono asked.

"Sawed it in half," she replied as she sat down in the trunk of Kono's car and she put her shoes on. "I must be losing weight..."

"Why do you say that?" Kono asked.

"Because no way in hell would I ever have fitted in anything you own," she got up and then Steve walked over to them.

"HPD's on their way," he said, he paused and looked at Jo, "have you lost weight?"

Jo looked at Kono who coughed to hide the fact she was laughing at them. When HPD finally arrived and they pulled the truck out from the waters they opened the back and water came rushing out. "Oh, what is that? Seaweed?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, seaweed. Oh. Oh!" They all yelled when Steve pulled out an octopus from the back.

"Yeah, we'll... we'll take the front," Kono said.

"All right, see what these guys left behind besides the money," Steve said.

Chin and Kono studied the front of the truck as Jo, Steve, and Danny stood in the back.

"Mask, broken strap," Danny said as he pulled out a gas mask.

"The only one?" Jo asked as she stepped in to the truck.

"Yeah," Danny said as he jumped out.

"Maybe there was a struggle and it got caught on something..." Steve offered as Jo poked her head out.

"Wait a minute. Paramedic said that the guard who was still alive, he had defensive wounds on his hands..." Danny said.

Jo frowned as she grabbed the mask, "Let's say he tried to rip the mask off... Broken strap - I'm willing to bet that he did... So he probably had a glimpse of the guys that did it..."

"Should we go to the hospital?" Danny asked.

"Duh," Jo said.

"We found this," Chin said as he held up a device that had a bullet hole in it.

"What's that?" Jo asked as she jumped down.

"We can call this the black box of this vehicle," he explained.

"Think you'll be able to fix it?" Steve asked.

"Maybe," Chin admitted, "we can hope that I can, so what's the plan?"

"We're going to talk to Townsend," Steve said.

"You taking Jo with you?" Chin said.

"I want to go," Jo offered, "I need to change my Hijab anyways..."

"Mhmm," Chin said, "Good luck with that."

Steve nodded and then he walked away forcing Jo and Danny to run off after him.

As they drove back Steve stopped at the house for Jo to quickly change into something else before they headed to the hospital where the guard was being treated.

"What are the odds, huh? Guy gets a bullet in the dome, goes through four hours of brain surgery, and he survives, yet 150 people die every year from falling coconuts. It's a fact. I read it online." Danny said as the trio walked into the hospital.

"What, so now you're not going to let Grace go near coconut trees?" Steve scoffed.

"Not without a helmet, I'm not," Danny retorted.

They walked in to a room where a very pregnant woman sat "Hi," Steve said, "Excuse me, uh, Camille Townsend?"

"Yes," she said as she sat up.

"Hey, uh, I'm Steve McGarrett, from Five-O. This is my partner, Detective Danny Williams, and this is Jumana Hassan..." he introduced before he continued, "We're investigating the shooting."

"We're really sorry about what happened to your husband..." Danny offered.

"I warned him not to take that job. That it was too dangerous, but... he didn't listen to me. We've been together since we were 18. I just don't know how to be me without him..."

Something about that struck a nerve for Jo, "How to be you without him..." she said.

Steve cast her a look that told her to shut up, she shrugged and remained silent.

"Hey. You're not going to have to worry about that. Doctor said that he's strong, and he's going to pull through, so you got to be strong, too." Danny said kindly as she let out a shuddering sigh.

"I heard that the other two men... didn't make it," she said hesitantly.

"No. They didn't. Your husband might be the only witness to this crime, so at some stage we're hoping we can talk to him." Steve offered.

"Yeah, obviously it's the last thing on your mind right now, but if you could, when he wakes up, please, give us a call..." Danny said gently as he handed the woman a card.

"Of course," she said, "It was his first day."

"Hey, listen. We're going to do everything we can to find out who did this to him, and to you, all right?" Danny said and she nodded with a relieved look.

They walked back to the car and Steve and Danny both turned to look at her, "What is wrong with you?" Danny said.

"What?" she asked.

"You scoffed at that woman," Steve said.

"I didn't scoff, okay?" she said, "I was just... _Khalas_, don't talk to me..." she stormed into the car.

"_Khalas_, what the hell is that?" Danny asked.

"It means 'enough' in Arabic," Steve said as they followed her in to the car.

"Seriously though," Danny said.

"I don't know, the way she said it - really set me off," she shrugged as she crossed her arms, "not knowing how to be themselves because you've been with someone for so long - how the hell does that even happen? When do you stop being yourself anyways?"

Danny was curious now, "Haven't you ever been in love?"

"I love," she stated dryly.

"Seriously, have you ever been in love?" he asked.

She shrugged, "How should I know?" she demanded.

He pointed at her, "You've got problems..."

"Yeah, don't I know it," she said with a shrug before she stared out the window.

"Okay, can we please focus here," Steve said, "we need to head back to HQ since talking to Townsend is out of the question we need to see what Chin was able to do to the black box."

"Think he was able to salvage it?" Danny asked.

"Yes," was Steve's simple reply.

Once they had walked in to HQ Chin and Kono were waiting for them, "What do you have?" Steve asked them.

Kono walked around the table, "Well, we pulled this from the security cam at the loading dock. There are four shooters. This is the best frame we have," she paused at a frame, all they had was the face of a man half-covered with a gas-mask, "not much to go on."

"All right, they knew we'd pull video. That's why they're wearing masks and coveralls," Danny said.

"Exactly. Also not helpful is a group of painters standing nearby, dressed exactly like our thieves," Kono added.

"Definitely planned," Jo said as she leaned on the table.

"Right," Kono said, "So I put the video through our facial recognition software, and I got a hit from the HPD mug shot database. Gordon Smith. Prior for two home robberies, got out of Halawa six months ago. I talked to his parole officer, who said he missed today's meeting."

"Okay. Um... I'm not a rocket scientist, but I think I know why he missed his meeting," Danny said.

"All right, well, let's set a meeting he won't miss," Steve said, "Jo?"

"I think I'll stay behind and help Chin with the Black Box," she said.

"You sure?" Steve said.

"Yeah, I'm sure," she nodded and then she watched Steve and Danny run off.

"Everything okay?" Chin asked.

"It's a long story," she said as she joined him, "so where's the damaged bit of equipment?"

Chin chuckled and moved to a table he was working at and she sat across from him, "So what happened?" she asked.

"They knew exactly where to shoot," he said, "I'm trying to pull out the SD card - maybe we can see whatever this thing recorded..."

"Can't open the whole device?" she asked.

"Without causing too much damage? I don't think so," he said as he looked down.

"Guys I'm heading out to ballistics, I just got a call from them," Kono said.

They nodded and she walked out as Chin continued to work quietly while Jo watched. Chin thought maybe Jo would tell him anything about what happened last night, "So, how was your night out with McGarrett?" he asked.

She shrugged, "It was fine," she said, "why is everyone so interested to know about my outing with Steve?"

Chin chuckled, "Kiddo, it's our job to butt in," he said simply.

"I wish you wouldn't," she stated.

"But seriously, how did it go?" he asked.

"It was fine, we had dinner... Then he showed me the tool box..." she shrugged.

Chin glanced up at her, "His dad's tool box?" he asked.

"Yeah, he told me you know about it..."

Chin hesitated a bit, "I do - Jo, you're telling me he showed you his dad's tool box..."

She nodded, "Yeah..."

"Do you realize that Steve -"

"Trusts me?" she said, "Yeah, he said so himself..."

"So why are you so unhappy?"

"I'm not unhappy," she stated, "I just wish..."

"Wish what?" Chin asked.

"That we weren't from such different worlds, you know?" she said.

Chin studied her face for a long moment before he nodded, "Yeah, I know..." he said.

Their conversation was cut short when Danny and Steve walked in again, "Chin, you get anything off the box?" Steve asked.

"Well, I got what used to be something. When our friend shot up the black box it damaged the SD card that holds all the video. I'm trying to get it out without making it worse, but it's slow going." Chin responded as he turned his attention back to the black box.

Kono walked in as well, "Ballistics came back. It turns out the same guns were used at a Waikiki bank heist a year ago. Four perps wearing masks," she said.

"What was the target?" Steve asked.

"The internal vault at Oahu Federal Bank," Kono responded, "They killed two guards, got away with close to $4 million."

"Were there any suspects?" Jo asked.

"No. Unfortunately, it happened during the annual Koko Crater Classic Triathlon. Streets were closed, and HPD was spread thin; no one even knows how they got in or out. But I ran the stats through an FBI database, and in the last year, there have been high-end, four-person robberies in Boulder, San Diego and Austin."

"Wait a minute. All cities that host triathlons," Steve said.

"Bingo," Kono said, "and the heists always happen during the race."

"Okay, so this is their M.O. They use an event like this as a diversion," Danny said.

"Guys, this city shuts down for the triathlon tomorrow," Chin said as he got up from his table.

The phone rang and Danny went to get it as Steve continued to speak, "Okay, all right, if we're right, this crew is probably planning another hit, which means we have, like, 18 hours before somebody else is gonna wind up dead."

"Okay. Thank you very much," Danny said as he joined them again.

"Who's that?" Steve asked.

"Camille Townsend, Jordan's awake and he's talking. Let's hope he can I.D. a shooter."

"Jo, let's go." Steve said.

"You've been dying to say that since we met, haven't you?" she asked.

He said nothing as they walked outside and in to the car. As Steve drove Danny continued to text, she sat back and crossed her arms over her chest as they rushed to the Hospital.

When they arrived Danny groaned loudly at his phone, "What is with you today? Your phone is blowing up."

"It's Rachel, all right?" Danny said, "The lawyers have decided that since we 'Activate each other,' that e-mail would be a better form of communication. Except I hate e-mail. I'm never sitting at a computer, and I can't type on this thing 'cause I got goofy thumbs."

"Your thumbs aren't goofy," Jo offered.

"Thanks for trying," Danny said.

She winked and then Steve decided to quip, "Why don't you try turning it sideways?"

"What's that gonna do?" Danny asked.

"It makes the things bigger," the response was a dry stare from Danny, "I'm just trying to help," he shrugged.

All of a sudden there was a reporter with cameras, "Commander McGarrett, Detective Williams, I'm Meredith Michaels, Channel 9 News. Do you have any leads on the armored car heist?"

Steve and Danny looked at Jo who suddenly went pale in the face, both men tried not to panic as Jo hid behind Steve, "No comment," Steve said.

"What is the press even doing here?" Jo squeaked knowing if she had been seen she would be compromised and they would have to move her yet again.

"We're going live in ten minutes. I'm hoping to get a comment from Jordan Townsend, the surviving guard -"

"Okay, turn that off, please, all right?" Steve said, "and have over the tapes."

"What?"

"You've compromised an Officer of the Law," he gestured to Jo, "therefore I'm going to have to ask you to hand over those tapes now."

"You can't take them without a warrant -" Meredith began.

"You'll find that we can," Steve said, "please hand over the tapes before this turns in to a mess. Also, Jordan Townsend is a potential witness for a double homicide, okay? The people that did this, they do not want him to talk. You understand that? You putting his name out there, it only puts his safety at risk -"

"Jordan's condition was reported from the crime scene three hours ago -" Meredith said.

The three looked at each other before they sprinted off into the hospital, "Room 218, Code Blue. Code Blue, room 218 -" was the very first thing they heard upon arrival, people moved about in a frenzy as they tried to take care of everything.

They could see Mrs. Townsend running in, "The doctor said everything was fine. I just went and got some coffee. What happened in five minutes?"

Jo spotted someone that was not like the others, he walked calmly, with purpose.

"Steve," she said.

He followed her gaze and then he looked at Danny, "Jo, you stay here with Townsend, okay?" he said.

She nodded and then watched as they ran off after the suspicious man who had been covering his face and he walked with a deceiving sort of calm.

She sat beside Camille and tried to keep her calm, "I'm sure he'll be fine." she said gently.

"But he was fine -" she began to hyperventilate.

"Hey, breathe," Jo said gently.

Steve joined them again and Jo got up, "What happened?"

He gently put a hand on her upper arm and they stepped to the side, "The guy went through the elevator," he said quietly.

"How the hell does that happen?" she asked.

"I don't know, but I ordered a lockdown, how's Mrs. Townsend?"

"Not good," she admitted.

A doctor joined them and then they turned to look at him, "Jordan Townsend suffered an embolism, basically what happens is that there is a bubble in the IV - and blood gets air."

"Someone put air into his IV," Steve said.

The Doctor nodded, "That is usually what it means, someone tried to kill Jordan Townsend."

"And how is Mr. Townsend?" Jo asked.

"He's conscious and under surveillance," the Doctor said.

Danny joined them, "Look, I got a call from Kono, she knows where they've been working out of."

"Okay, you guys go check that out," Jo said, "I'll stay behind and look after Camille."

"You sure?" Steve asked.

She nodded, "You'll need someone to keep an eye in case they try to get Jordan again, okay?"

"Yeah," he said as me began to leave, she grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Keep me posted," she said.

He nodded, "You do the same."

She nodded as she let go of his hand and then she watched him leave with Danny.

Camille looked up as Jo sat down beside her again, "He'll be fine, okay?" she said gently.

"Thank you so much for staying here Officer..." she said.

"Just call me Jo," she said.

Camille nodded as they sat there in silence, Jo kept a watchful eye on their surroundings as she kept an arm around Camille trying to see if anything looked suspicious, often she would catch the eye of an HPD officer, but otherwise she said nothing to them.

All they had to do now was wait.


	17. Moving

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or the places mentioned, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

* * *

Jo still sat with Camille, she got up and the woman looked at her, "I just really severely need a cup of coffee," Jo explained, "I'll be right back," she promised.

Camille nodded and watched as the cop walked off, Jo walked to the cafeteria and there she saw the coffee machine, she walked over to is and she contemplated what to get.

"Not the black, it tastes like dirt," someone said over her shoulder.

She turned around to see a man that seemed to be around her age, he wore a lab-coat and had a stethoscope around his neck, she also noticed he was quite easy on the eyes. "Um," she said.

"I tried the black, and trust me - it tastes like dirt," he said again.

"Oh, thanks...?" she said before she turned and chose something she was familiar with, once it filled the paper cup she turned to the doctor who was grinning at her. "I'm Jumana," she said.

"Hussam," he said, "but most people call me Sam..."

"Nice to meet you..." she said oddly, "I've got to get going -"

"I know this is forward of me," he said suddenly, "but you know - Arabs tend to notice each-other... I was wondering if you'd like to go out for a proper cup of coffee some time...?"

"Oh, so you're into the whole dating thing?" she asked bluntly.

He chuckled, "No, you know - just a cup of coffee..." he shrugged.

She found him to be suspicious, "Um... I don't know..."

He shrugged, "You know, if you ever change your mind - here's my card..."

She looked down at the card before she stuffed it into her pocket, "Thanks," she said as she began to walk away, "creep..."

She joined Camille again as they waited for news on Jordan, as Jo sipped her coffee her phone rang, "Yeah?" she said.

"Jo, we found the people responsible for this, I need you to head over to the address I'm about to text you," Steve said.

She frowned, "Okay - so you found the suspects?"

"Yeah, we need you to swing by -"

"That would be nice in theory, how do you expect me to get there?" she asked.

"The house isn't far," he said.

"You are unbelievable," she muttered, "fine, I'm on my way." she hung up without a word and then she saw a text from him.

She got up and found Sam in her face again, "Look, I'm sorry about earlier - you know -"

"I need a lift," she said.

"W-what?" he asked.

"Do you have a car?" she asked.

"Yeah, I have a car -"

"Good, can you give me a ride please?" she said.

He looked hesitant, "Look I just -" she flashed him her badge, "I need to get somewhere, please?"

"Oh," he nodded, "sure, right away..."

"Thanks," she said as the left the hospital.

His car was a run-down Honda, she sat in the front as she drummed her fingers on her knee, "So how long have you been in the country?" she asked.

"I - how'd you figure?"

"Your accent, it's not native, your 'R's are too pronounced... I figured you've probably lived your life speaking English, but you're not from America," she stated.

He hesitated, "You're right," he glanced at her, "I was born and raised in Jordan, but my mom - she's originally Irish... I only came here after high school for Pre-med and I've been here ever since..." She nodded and stared out the window, "So -" he said slowly, "what's your story?"

She chose not to reply instead she remained rigidly silent as she told him where to go, when they stopped at a big house she thanked him, "Thank you." she said.

"So, um, will you consider my offer?" he asked.

"No," she said as she shut the door and she walked away from the car. She walked up to the gate and she watched the car drive off as Steve walked out of the big house.

"Who's that?" he asked.

"No one," she said as he opened the gate for her, "so where are we?"

"This house belongs to Danny's ex-wife," Steve said.

"No way," she said.

"The suspects live next door," he added.

"Oh," she said.

He stopped and grabbed her shoulders gently, "Are you okay?" he asked, "You seem... Down."

She shrugged, "I don't know, I just don't feel like myself..."

He looked concerned, "Is everything okay?" he asked.

She shrugged, "Let's just go inside," she said.

"Yeah..." he said.

The inside of the house was, as expected, beautiful. "Hello, you must be Jumana," a British accent said.

"You must be Rachel," Jo said.

"I'm assuming Daniel has given you quite the introduction," she said.

"Danny is - as he likes to call himself - a goof," she grinned, "I think I like to have opinions of people based on what I think."

"I'm going to head back upstairs," Steve said.

Both women were already walking away from him, both deep in conversation, Steve shook his head and he headed back to check in on Danny, now they had their equipment set up they were simply watching the people as they prepared for the event the following day.

"Jo's here?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, she's with Rachel," Steve said.

"She might end up hating you eventually if she spends too much time with her," Danny said.

Steve rolled his eyes and they fell into silence.

Downstairs Jo found herself liking Rachel, eventually she found herself asking Rachel for advice, she could easily asked Kono - but Kono wouldn't get it... Kono wasn't an outside eye.

"What do I do?" she asked.

"Well, do you love him?" Rachel asked.

Jo shrugged, "I don't know, I know whatever I'm feeling is intense - I've never really had the time to fall in love before... I tend to not do it to avoid problems..."

"Well," Rachel said, "you won't know unless you take a leap," she shrugged.

Jo frowned, "It just isn't that easy," she said.

"We're adults, nothing is ever easy..." Rachel said.

Jo let out a sigh, "I suppose I just want to know what it feels like," she said simply, "to know what it feels like when you know someone out there really does love you..."

Rachel patted her hand and they both looked up as Steve strolled in, Jo's expression suddenly changed and then she got up, "I'm going to go check in on Danno," she said before she rushed off.

Steve had been ready to say something but she had already left, "Oh," he said.

"I don't know you much, Lieutenant Commander McGarrett," Rachel said, "but I insist you be more clear with her - Daniel was not clear with me - and well, look at how we ended up." she sniffed with distaste, "now - would you like a cup of tea?"

Danny looked up as Jo strolled in, "I don't know what you're talking about, Rachel is amazing, hell - I don't know how you ended up with her," she stated.

"Ha ha, very funny." he stated dryly, "Do you hate Steve now?"

She rolled her eyes as she walked over to him, "So what are they doing?"

"Working out," he said simply, "they've been at it all day..."

"Weirdos," she muttered.

Danny chuckled, "Really though, what did you talk about?"

"Girl stuff, sheesh, let it go Danno."

He rolled his eyes and then turned his attention to the window again, suddenly her phone began to ring, she looked down at it before answering, "Hello?" she questioned.

"Hey, Jo," a familiar voice said.

"Sam, howzit?" she asked the SEAL.

"Not good, Jo, you've been compromised -"

"What?" she asked.

"Your face - it was seen in a local news broadcast -"

"Sam, I tried - I swear -"

"I'm sorry Jo, there's nothing I can do, they want to relocate you -"

"God - Sam - please don't -" she pleaded as she walked out of the room. "Everything was going so good -"

"For now it's only a couple of weeks," he insisted, "just until they make sure it's not a problem -"

"Sam -"

"Jo, it's out of my hands, tomorrow they expect you at Hickam -"

She slid down the wall, "W-what?"

"Jo, don't do anything stupid..."

She nodded and then she hung up before she pressed her hands to her eyes, "Jo?" Steve asked, he had a tea-cup in his hands.

"I'm fine," she said. He grabbed her hands and then she looked up at him, the tears she didn't want to fall did, "I mean..."

"What's going on?"

"I was compromised," she muttered as she pulled her hands away, "they're relocating me..."

"When?" he asked, his voice sounded... Off.

"Tomorrow," she said as she looked away, "I need to go home and pack..."

Home... That word always resonated whenever she said it.

"I'll take you -" he began.

"I'll be fine -"

"No, I'll take you," he said and then he went in to the room a bit.

Half an hour later they were at the house, Steve hesitated a bit, "I've got to go for the case -"

"Go," she insisted.

He nodded and then left. When he was gone she walked into her room and she began to pack, all the while she felt very weepy, often she would call to check in on the case, Steve refused to tell her much. She wondered if he was angry that she had managed to be compromised and as such she now had to move.

The following morning a black SUV full of men in suits pulled up to the McGarrett home, they grabbed her luggage and suddenly it was like she had never even existed in the home, she took a last glance to the house before she left with the agents.

She wanted to say this was something she was used to, she was not used to being emotionally attached to the place she was in last, "Where are you lads taking me this time?" she asked.

"We are not at liberty to say," was the response she was now used to.

She let out a sigh as she followed them out the house, she locked the door with the key Steve had given her and then she kept it hidden in her pocket, that was one thing she refused to let them take from her.

She got into the SUV and then they sped her off to the air force base. They had confiscated her phone from her and then they erased everything on her laptop.

Once at the base she saw the airplane awaiting her, "Sir," one of the agents said, "Lieutenant Commander McGarrett has requested to see her before take-off."

The head of the group nodded curtly and then she turned to see Steve walking over to them, "Hey," he said.

"Hey," she responded and then she looked at the men, "do you mind giving us some privacy?"

"We can't do that, Miss," the leader said.

"It's alright," Steve told them, "she's safe with me."

The agents hesitated a bit before they left them, but they did not go very far, "I'm sorry," she said.

"Why are you apologizing?" Steve said.

"Because I went and screwed up again," she said with a frown.

"Hey," he said, "where ever you go, I'll probably find you - got it? Because that's what family does."

She nodded, "Yeah, that's what family does..." she whispered.

"Take care of yourself," he said, "and when you can - give me a call..."

"You know it won't be possible, right?" she asked.

"I'm not asking you," he stated firmly.

She hesitated a bit before she hugged him, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, "We'll figure out a way to get you out of this," he promised.

She nodded as she stepped back and then she saluted him, "It was an honor serving with you, Lieutenant Commander..." she handed her badge and gun over.

"This is from the team," he said as he handed her a small box, she opened it and saw a silver medallion.

"Michael," she said as she looked up, "Usually this is given to cops..."

"We thought you should get one," he shrugged.

"Thank you," she said as she looked down at it again with a smile.

He nodded and then watched as she was escorted onto the plane, he wondered when would it be when he saw her next?

When the airplane took off he turned on his heel and then he left the air base and he headed straight back to HQ.

When he walked in Chin, Kono, and Danny all looked up, "What happened?" Kono asked.

"She's been relocated," Steve responded.

"Did you give her the necklace?" Chin asked.

"I did," Steve said.

"Good, now if anything ever happens to her, we'll be the first to know."

"There is something very wrong about putting a tracking device in a gift," Danny said.

"You mean you want her to go off the grid?" Steve demanded.

"Of course not, I mean - I'm going to miss her pizza - but this is an invasion of her privacy."

Steve crossed his arms, "She'll eventually figure it out."

Leaving this time had been the hardest thing she had ever done, what made it worse was the fact that Steve had been there to see her off, she pulled out the pendant and one of the agents notices, "Is that a gift from McGarrett?" he asked.

"And the rest of the team, allow me this one, brah." she stated.

"I suppose we can," he said.

"Where are you dumping me this time?" She asked.

"New Zealand," was the response.

"Great," she muttered as she inspected the necklace, it was then she noticed a tiny little hole in the pendant, just under the ridge, and then it hit her - this pendant was custom made for her, and it probably had a tracking device, the team had put it to know where she went. She wrapped her hand around it and then she pressed a kiss to her fist as she was suddenly overwhelmed by emotion, they really were her family.


	18. ha'o au iā'oe

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or the places mentioned, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

It would appear that I am on a roll...

* * *

New Zealand was not as bad as she had anticipated, they had gotten her a flat in Wellington and it was just a bit more than a relief that she was allowed to continue surfing there. She had grown accustomed to life there - but it was not Hawaii.

She had gone back to her roots, long before the Cartel, long before her father's death, long before things changed and she had joined a theater repertoire. What had started off as days for her to linger in New Zealand turned in to months.

She missed the team, their antics - but she found that more than anything she missed Steve. It never got better, her flat was painfully void of anything that made it a home save for one picture that stood beside her bed of the team and her.

Mornings were difficult, she forced herself to get up every day and to get about her life as if nothing was wrong. It was a rainy morning and she could tell it was going to be cold, she had to go to work.

They were preparing for a showing of a play that was written by a local playwright, she had a role in the play and today they would be doing a dress-rehearsal. She donned a pair of jeans, a chunky sweater and a hijab before she shoved her feet into combat boots, she made sure she wore her necklace, the small pendant gave her comfort when she needed it and she knew that as long as she wore it her family would know where she was.

She grabbed her bag, an umbrella, and a scarf she had knitted herself before she stepped out of the door, "Good morning Sam," a voice said.

She turned her head to see her elderly neighbor Mr. Hendricks, "Morning Mr. Hendricks," she said in a fake accent. That was her new persona, Samira Tayseer, Wellington native who studied drama and was now trying to make it as an actress.

She was hoping to be compromised so that they would send her back but so far she had no luck, no body ever paid attention to the theater, in a way she was thankful for that but life was getting increasingly boring.

Routine killed her, she went in, they rehearsed, and then whenever she had a break she would step away from all of them.

However, there was one of her cast-mates who did not get the clue when it came to her not really wanting to interact with anyone, he was a skinny bespectacled man who liked playing guitar and smoking. Jo wasn't having any of it though, she didn't interact with him much out of rehearsals and she made a point to avoid him otherwise.

This was such a day, she stood outside as she munched on a sandwich she had just gotten from a shop not too far away from them as he lingered around her, strumming a guitar. Suddenly her phone beeped, alerting her to a text, she frowned and pulled it out and saw it was from Steve, it simply said 'Who's that jerk?'

She frowned, how would he even know? Curiously she looked up and around her, wondering with a sliver of false hope that he would be just around the corner.

She texted him back a simple 'What?'

In response she got a 'You look nice.'

This was only slightly freaking her out, she decided to call him, something she was forbidden to do - but he was scaring her, she heard a phone ringing and then she could swear she was losing her mind but the line went dead as the ringing stopped.

"What the hell," she said as she looked around again, sitting on a bench just outside the building was a very familiar figure, she felt her breath catch in her throat as she beheld him.

"Steve?"

He got up, and she walked up to him, "Hey," he said with a grin.

"Y-you're here," she said lamely.

He grinned, "Yeah, I'm here..."

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

He chuckled, "I want to smuggle you home."

Home.

The word resonated through every fiber of her being, "Home," she said, "how are you even going to manage that?"

He shrugged and studied her for a long while, she hesitated, "Look, I need to get inside - rehearsals -"

"Can I watch?" he asked.

"You want to watch?" she asked slowly.

"Yes, I want to watch."

She hesitated a bit again, "Sure..." she looked to the building and then he followed her.

Her fellow actors looked on a bit suspiciously as they joined them, Steve sat in the back as she walked to the stage and they all continued with their rehearsals.

That evening he looked around the flat, it was painful how empty it was, "How are you going to get me back?" she asked.

"I've been working on having me be your protective officer," he stated.

"Oh," she said as she sat down.

"Jo, we need you back..."

"What's happened since I've been gone?" she asked.

"I think I've figured out who might be involved with my mom's case," he said.

"Who?" she asked as he got up to pace.

"A man called Wo Fat -"

"I know him," she said, "he's one of my cousin's contacts with strong ties to the Yakuza..." she frowned, "this guy is serious business, Steve, I heard he's like... James Moriarty."

Steve looked at her, "I'm starting to see that," he stated simply.

"If this is involved with Wo Fat," she frowned as she crossed her arms, "that would explain a lot..."

"Do you think that your cousin might have something to do with my mom?" he asked.

She shrugged, "I don't know..." she said with a sigh before she got up, "How long are you staying here?" she asked.

"I have to leave again tonight," he replied, "I wasn't supposed to come, Catherine warned me against it - said I could compromise you again..."

"Oh..." she said.

"Hey," he said as he walked over to her and he put his hands on her shoulders.

"I miss you guys so much," she said with a pained tone, "I hate it here - every day forcing myself to be Samira and not Jo - I hate it so much..."

"The one good thing here is the Badir Cartel doesn't have a far reach this far out," he said, "I need you to lay low... Okay? Just until we figure out what we're going to do to get you back to Hawaii."

She nodded and then he stepped back, "Okay..."

He looked satisfied, "No, do you mind if I stayed the night?"

She laughed quietly, "No, I don't mind."

That evening was spent in idle conversation, Jo knew how much she missed him - but spending time with him reminded her how intense her feelings were. They sat side-by-side on the couch, their feet propped up on the coffee table as she told him about the guy.

"His name is Trevor," she said, "and I think he's interested in me..."

"You think?" Steve chuckled.

"Okay, I know, he's asked me out on several dates - I just don't care..." she shrugged.

"Why not?" he asked.

She shrugged, how was she supposed to tell him that the reason she didn't even consider dates was because the person she wanted the most was the most impossible thing to happen - ever? "I don't do the whole dating thing, you know that."

"But you haven't had even a crush on any one?" he asked.

"Of course I have!" she said.

"So?"

She laughed, "I'm not going to tell you about my crush..." she shook her head, "Honestly, decades later and men still don't have a clue!"

He studied her expression as it suddenly went contemplative, her expression was sad - almost pained, "What are you thinking about?" he asked.

She managed a grin, "I'm hoping this isn't some sort of dream, where I wake up and you were never here..." she responded honestly, "You have no idea how hard it is to wake up in an empty place - I was so used to it before - I don't know how you were able to break that habit - all of you..."

He looked away from her, truth be told the house had been odd without her presence - months later it was still odd, even when Catherine stayed over - something was missing.

"How are the others?" she asked.

"They're doing fine," he said as he looked at her again, "they all send their love - and Danny says he really misses your pizza."

She laughed, and he could tell she was trying not to cry, "Yeah, I bet he does..." suddenly her laughs stilled, "I'm sorry," she said as she got up, "I um - need to get something from my room..." she left him as she stepped into her room.

Years had taught her emotional detachment, she had learned to move on - to rise above whatever was thrown at her, but it was impossible now - she had never been so close to someone and yet so far. She sat on her bed as she thought of her friends, in the months she had been in Wellington she hadn't shed a single tear, but now that Steve was there - knowing he would be gone in the morning tore new wounds in her heart.

Suddenly she was angry at her cousin, angry at her fate, angry at everything that happened to her friends and she was not there to help them through it - suddenly she was angry with herself.

Her hand went to the necklace, not only was Michael the protector of cops - it kept her safe - she had people watching her moves - making sure she was unharmed.

She hated her situation.

She sat for a moment before she regained her composure, she got up and paced before she splashed cold water on her face, the moment she stepped out she saw a concerned Steve standing at her door, "I'm fine," she lied, "want to do something fun before you have to leave?"

"Fun?" he asked.

"You know, we can go out to dinner, maybe catch a movie - a cup of coffee..."

He laughed, "You're asking me out on a date," he stated.

"It's the 21st Century, sisters are doing it for themselves!" she declared.

He chuckled, "Let's do something fun."

* * *

Deep in some forest in the world there was a compound, its stone walls were built high and there were many facilities within it.

A man, not older than 30 paced about, for someone of his age his notoriety has spread far and wide, he had all the right connections, and his opinion he knew all the right people - no one dared argue that fact with him. Aziz Abdel Fattah was a dangerous man, the head of a cartel that had gotten so far in the business it was rare to find someone that was not affiliated with him in some way.

"How can she suddenly disappear?" he asked.

His right-hand man frowned, "I don't know, they've figured out where to hide her this time..."

Suddenly a man walked in, he was impeccably dressed, and was of Asian descent, "Aziz," he said.

"Wo Fat," Aziz said as he turned to behold the man, "what do you want?"

"Is that how you great an old friend?" he asked.

"If you were not aware we have lost track of the biggest threat to the Cartel," he said dryly.

"What is one woman to a man like you?" he asked.

"That one woman knows how to get in and out of this compound!" he said angrily.

"She must find it first," Wo Fat said slyly.

Aziz did not look impressed, "What do you want?"

"According to a very important contact of mine, I think I might know where the girl is," he said.

Aziz frowned, "What are you talking about?"

"You are aware of her connection to Steve McGarrett, yes?" Wo Fat said.

Aziz frowned, he had theories that his cousin was a little bit more than simply interested in the SEAL, he knew he could probably break her if he was able to get his hands on him. "Of course," he said simply.

"I have acquired the knowledge that Steve McGarrett has gone to New Zealand, namely... Wellington..." Wo Fat said.

"What's in this for you?" Aziz asked suspiciously.

"Do I not ever do things for the sake of our friendship?" Wo Fat asked.

"No, you don't," Aziz retorted dryly.

"Well, I am now, and I am telling you Steven McGarrett is in New Zealand, and soon he will be one his way back to Honolulu."

Aziz grinned, "Well, in that case..."

"Sir?" his right hand man said.

"If we don't break her," he said, "we have no chance of survival."

Wo Fat looked satisfied, "And I wish to stop Steve McGarrett to trail me..."

"Do whatever the hell you want, Wo Fat, I could care less," Aziz said as he waved a hand over his shoulder, "I've got bigger plans for them."

"I'm sure you do," the man said before he left the office.

* * *

Jo couldn't help but laugh at Steve, "Honestly, you call that a movie?"

"It's a cult classic, you won't appreciate it as it should be appreciated," she stated simply.

"That - I take insult to that," he said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sure you do," she laughed as she shook her head, "what now? The night is young and I hardly sleep."

He chuckled, "But I should, my flight is early in the morning..."

"Do you have to leave?" she asked as she looked up at him.

"Yeah, I do..." he said sadly. She pulled away from him as she shoved her hands into her pockets, he watched her walk with her shoulders slumped before he fell in to step with her, "Hey," he said.

"Yeah?" she asked as he stopped her, his hands gripped at her sides.

"We'll figure this out, okay?" he said sternly.

She studied his face with a sigh, "Yeah, fine..." she murmured before he stepped back.

The following morning she drove him to the airport, there a private military jet was waiting, they walked onto the tarmac arm in arm, "Thank you for finding me," she said.

"I'm not going to be able to contact you a lot," he informed her, "but if something important happens..." he gently brushed her cheek with his thumb, "You will be the first to know."

"Take care of yourself," she said, "and give my love to the others..."

"I will," he pointed to her hijab where her neck was, "Keep that close, and if you're ever in trouble..."

"You'll know," she smiled before she hugged him tightly, "If you only knew how much I'm going to miss you, Boss..." He hid his face in her shoulder for a moment before he broke away, "You make me do things I'm not supposed to be doing, like hugging strange men."

He laughed and shook his head before he walked off, she wanted to tell him desperately - how she really felt, she wanted to yell it at him as he climbed up to the plain - she wanted to see what his reaction would be, but instead she watched him climb into the jet and he turned to wave at her, all she could do was press a kiss to her own finger tips before she wave back at him. She watched the plane take off and shoot into the sky, it was obviously military issue, she wondered how they allowed him to get there in the first place.

Steve sat in the jet as they flew over miles of endless blue, suddenly there was a sort of frenzy about, "What is it?" he asked as he got up.

"We're being followed," the Captain said.

"What?" he asked. The Captain pointed to a radar that showed that indeed they were being followed by two airplanes, suddenly one flew right past them, it was an unmarked gray F-16, "What the hell?" Steve muttered as more joined them, "What is going on?"

Suddenly the whole jet shook as an alarm went off, "We just lost one of the engines!" the Captain yelled as the crew began to run about.

It suddenly occurred to Steve that this had been planned and Jo was compromised, "This is my fault!" he said as he pulled out his phone, he was about to call anyone but it was already too late.


	19. Cartel

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or the places mentioned, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

So guys, this is the chapter before the last for this story, however I'm thinking of a sequel that's still in the phase of being thought up of but it will most likely be called 'The Secrets our Fathers Never Told Us' I don't know when I'll publish that because I might take some time to focus on my other stories for a short while. Anyways, I want to thank every reviewer who has stuck it out with me this long, everyone who has favorited and followed this story, I want to thank you all for your support and for everyone who enjoyed the Jo/Steve moments I love writing... Keep the love coming and keep reviewing because there are always ways this story can improve, and there are ways I can fix it in the Sequel if this story was not good enough for you... anyways, let me post this chapter and get working on the final chapter before I see you all next with the sequel!

* * *

It had been days since Steve's departure, she woke up tot he sound of her phone ringing, she groaned as she grabbed it and saw that Chin had been calling, she grinned, "Howzit -"

"Jo, we tried calling you twenty times -" he said.

"Ugh, must have been out like a light," she said with a groan, "I had a very late -"

"Where's McGarrett?" he suddenly asked.

"W-What?" she asked, "What are you talking about, he left days ago - it's almost been a week..."

"He never made it to Hickam," Chin stated with a worried tone.

She was suddenly wide awake, "What do you mean he never made it to Hickam?"

"He left almost a week ago to see you, he called me the night before he left -"

"I was with him when he made the call," she recalled.

"And I haven't heard of him since, his plane didn't even land..."

She frowned as her heart began to race, "Steve's missing? Don't you have some sort of GPS tracking on him like my necklace?"

"His phone is off," he said, "I haven't -"

"I'm coming," she said as she jumped out of bed and she began to pack up.

"Jo - don't -"

"No," she said, "I have a really bad feeling about this, I need to hang up with you and talk to Sam, okay? I'll call you back once I have a flight out of here -"

"Jo -"

"Stop trying to get me to do otherwise!" she yelled.

Chin fell silent, "Alright, I'll be waiting for your call," he said.

"Thank you," she said before she ended the call, moments later she was talking to Sam.

"Jo?" the SEAL said, "What's up?"

"Steve's gone missing," she said, "I need you to get me the hell out of here and back to Honolulu -"

"Has it occurred to you that this might be a trap?" Sam said, his tone suddenly very alert.

"Yes it has," she said, "But Sam - I can't - Steve - he... Sam..." she paused her packing, "I can't abandon him..."

Sam was silent for a moment, "I'll contact someone at the Christchurch airport to fly out to where you are," he said, "You'll be out of Wellington within the hour."

She was about to cry with relief, "Thank you," she said, "Sam, thank you so much."

"Don't thank me just yet," he said, "I'm going to meet you in Honolulu, got it?"

She nodded and then she ended that call to call Chin again, "I'll be out of here in an hour," she said.

Chin let out a sigh, "Jo, this better not be compromising you -"

"Steve's more important than that," she said before she hung up.

She didn't pack heavily, she then changed into jeans, a Henley and a Hijab before she donned a jacket and her combat boots, as promised within the hours she was out of New Zealand.

The McGarrett house had not changed since she was there last, she automatically went to her room and she dumped her stuff, it was late at night, the moment she arrived she called Chin, "Jo?"

"I'm at Steve's place," she said, "where are you guys?"

"HQ," he said.

"I'm on my way," she said as she tore off her jacket and then she pulled out a helmet from the closet as she ran downstairs, as expected, hidden under some oiled canvas was her bike, she shoved the helmet onto her head as she pushed the bike out into the still night air, minutes later she was off towards the Hawaii Five-0 HQ.

The moment she walked in she was greeted with a tight hug from Kono, "Welcome home," she said.

Jo smiled as she returned the gesture, "Thanks..."

Kono stepped back and grinned, "Looks like you've gained some weight sistah," she said.

Jo made a face, "Aloha my haole butt!" she said.

She chuckled tiredly before Chin moved over and gave her a one-armed hug, and Danny waved. "What's the news?" she asked.

"We just contacted the Airforce, they're sending in data from McGarrett's flight," Chin informed her as they moved to the table, "What about you?"

"Sam Hannah, a SEAL friend of mine is going to fly in," she informed them, "I have a feeling this is going to turn in to recon once we figure out what happened."

Chin nodded and suddenly the table let out a sound alerting them that the info arrived, "Okay," he said, "so based on this info," he began as they stared at the numbers, "they had sights on the jet up until 10 a.m."

"That is about four hours after I dropped him off," she said, "we were at the airport at exactly 6 a.m."

Chin frowned, "Jet went off radar at 10:01, it was heading off-course..."

"Of course," Danny said, "what - is this - uh - a jacking?"

Suddenly Jo was sick, "Oh God," she said.

"What?" they all looked at her.

"I think I know who has him..." she whispered.

"Jo, who?" Chin said.

She braced herself on the table, "I think my cousin has him..."

The silence after that was almost tangible, "You're saying that the people trying to kill you - have Steve," Danny said slowly.

"This has happened before," she muttered, "Various people going out of sight, my cousin is a part of one of the biggest Cartels in the world - I think he has his own set of jets..."

"This is just beyond big," Danny said, "this is massive..."

"He had rich Saudi and Emirate young men splurging daddy's money for a hit," she replied, her tongue suddenly felt heavy, "I think he could afford a fleet of unmarked jets..."

Chin nodded, "You know what, I think I know what you're talking about, last year a soldier went missing, witnesses say that there were unmarked F-16 jet fighters... He was working a Badir case in Guatemala," he frowned, "Jo - we don't know where their compound is..."

"I don't know where it is either," she said, "I know the floorplan well though..."

"And how do you know the floor-plan so well?" Danny asked.

She looked up, "I had men on the inside," she said, "they managed to get me blue-prints of the whole compound - but never a location... People that aren't trusted are flown in or taken in blind-folded... You earn your trust when it comes to my cousin." she drummed her fingers on the table as she thought about this for a long while. "Chin, can you see which direction they went before transmission was cut off?"

"North east," he responded.

"North east, back to Asia," she mused, "where would you be hiding you little..." she began to stare at the map on screen, "snake..."

Something else was sent to them, "This is the last transmission of the black-box," Chin added as images appeared on the screen, there were several men with covered faces - and Steve appeared to be attempting to fight them but it wasn't happening.

"Signal goes on just a little bit after where they last tracked the plane."

"What if they're in South Asia?" Kono asked, "Those areas are popular with drug cartels, a lot of forests, tropical areas to grow the right kind of stuff..."

Jo nodded as she continued to think, "My cousin used to travel a lot," she stated, "he went to... Thailand a lot..."

"Thailand," Danny said.

"Chin, can you see if there's been any activity in Thailand in the past six years?" she asked.

"On it," he said as she stood straight.

"What are you going to do?" Danny asked.

"I need to contact some people Steve knew, we need military help if we're going to take them down."

"What do you mean take them down?" Danny said fearfully.

She looked at them, "My cousin is so stupid - he think he could take someone that means a lot to me and get away with it? If I don't take him down now, I'll never do it." she then stormed right in to Steve's office and she turned his computer on.

"Am I the only one who is scared?" Danny asked.

"No," Kono said, "but put yourself in her shoes, she's been running from this guy for lord knows how long..."

Jo worked to see if she could find anyone in Steve's contacts that could help them, eventually she came across a 'Joe White' and she decided to give him a call.

She didn't wait to long before a gruff voice answered, "This is Joe White speaking," he said.

She cleared her throat, "Sir, my name is Jumana -"

"You're Jo Abdel Fattah?" he suddenly asked.

She frowned, "Yes sir," she said, "did um -"

"Steve informed me about your situation, how can I help you Jo?"

She nodded, "Sir, we have a situation, I believe that the Badir Cartel is currently in possession of Steve," she said.

"In possession - they kidnapped him?" he said suddenly.

"Yes," she said, "and I think I'm going to need your help."

He was silent for a long while, "I'll be there as soon as I possibly can," he said.

"Thank you," she breathed out as the phone call ended.

Chin walked in, "Jo, there has been major drug activity in Thailand in the past couple of years," he said.

"We've got him," she said, "we've got my cousin!" she ran out past him.

Chin shook his head before he followed Jo. "We're going to need to know how to get in," he told Jo as she pulled out a stylus from a drawer.

"I'm going to draw you the floor plan as I remember it," she said as she pulled up a drawing program on the table.

"Are - you remember it?" Danny asked.

She nodded, "I'm a visual person, I remember things like pictures and drawings..." she began to draw, "We'll be able to get around using this, of course it's been three years exactly since I saw this plan; a lot happens in three years..."

Chin watched as she drew the plan, "Jo - this is..."

She stepped back as she stared at her handiwork, "This is a slightly sloppy version - because I drew it so quickly..."

"It's good enough," Chin appraised.

"Thanks," she said.

Suddenly a familiar face walked in, "Sam!" she said as her SEAL friend barged in.

"Jo," he said, "my flight just got in -"

"Obviously," she said.

"So, is this a rescue mission to save Steve McGarrett?" he asked.

"It seems like that is exactly what is has turned in to," she said with a frown.

"Just got a call from Joe White," Chin said, "He said that we should all meet at Hickam at 0500."

Jo nodded, "We should all go, get some sleep, pack our things - we've got a SEAL to rescue."

Sam had followed Jo to the McGarrett home, "Look, I'll just sleep down here," he said, "I'm already packed so I don't need to worry..." She nodded as she looked around the house, "Hey," he said, "I know Steve, he'll be fine..."

"God, I hope so..." she whispered before she went upstairs.

* * *

Aziz had expected info from the man they had kidnapped, he was silent - resolute - even when they dished out their worst.

Wo Fat had vanished since the suggestion, and that was all for the better for Aziz because Wo Fat was one sneaky sod.

"Why isn't he speaking?" Aziz growled angrily as he watched the bloodied up SEAL, his head lolled and he was covered in grime, blood, and sweat. His right-hand man said nothing and this infuriated him, "It doesn't matter, the one thing about Jumana is she has a terrible hero complex, sooner or later she will swoop in to save this man, and I will have her - when I do - her end will be so nasty she'll wish for death."

Steve groaned as he was thrown into a grimy cell, his whole body was aching due to their archaic methods. He didn't know how long he had been there but he knew that they were somewhere in South Asia, from the sounds of some of the birds he would often hear he wanted to guess Thailand.

From the moment they grabbed him they had asked the lamest of questions, how much did he know? How well did he know Jo? Did she know where the compound was?

He didn't care, he knew it was an ambush for her, and he had to find a way to get out, the first days he spent in contemplation as he tried to study his surroundings and figure out an exit-route but he had otherwise been unsuccessful.

He knew there had to be a way out, he just had to figure it out.

* * *

Jo paced the bedroom silently on her bed was her ready pack, she was simply anxious to get going, she eventually calmed down and she sat on the bed as she let out a sigh, she had packed Steve some spare clothes not knowing the state in which they would find him.

She managed to force herself to get some sleep.

The following morning they were up bright and early, Sam and Jo left the McGarrett house they all met up at Hickam where they found a man waiting for them, Jo stepped forward, "Joe White?" she asked.

"That'd be me, Jumana?"

"Call me Jo," she said.

He grinned and then they were handed gear, "So we think we've found the Compound," Joe said as they donned flak vests, "you said you know the floor plan?" he asked her.

"I know it well," she said, "I could lead a team in, my top priority is extracting Steve and then getting to my cousin."

Joe nodded, "Our priority is going to be extracting one of our men before we go in for the kill, we get him out - and if the mission is going smoothly we continue with ending the Cartel."

"Sounds like a solid plan," Sam said.

"I like it," Chin added.

"Then let's get going, we're going to be met up with a recon team, some friends owe me favors and they've been scouting the area presumed to be the compound of the Badir Drug Cartel. We're going to meet up there and then they are going to brief us on what they've found." They all nodded as they hopped onto the plane, "And when we get home you can thank the Governor," Joe added.

Jo buckled herself in as everyone else did, Kono sat beside her and both women clasped hands tightly as the plane took off, in hours they would be storming in to save someone that meant a lot to them all.

Many hours later they landed in a wooded area, the trees grew thickly together and there was a camp set up, they dropped whatever luggage they had in one tent appointed to them by Joe before they met up with some men in gear, "It's definitely the compound," one said.

"So we move in," Jo said.

Jo nodded, "We'll split up in to teams," he said, "I'll go with you, and we'll take Thompson here," he pointed to one of the men who had been on the mission, Jo guessed they were all special forces, "and we'll take Chin Ho," he pointed to Chin, "Sam, and Kono can go with Andrews there," he then looked at Danny and then hesitated a bit, "I guess Williams can tag along with us."

"Gee, thanks," Danny said.

"We'll have other teams spread out," Thompson said as he handed them gear, "they'll be at the ready to storm in and end operations within the cartel," he looked at Jo.

"Does someone have a visual on my cousin?" she asked as she checked a gun they handed her.

"Yes," Thompson responded.

"Okay," she said as she put on the flak vest on, to it she strapped on the gear before she put the pack on her back, "how are we going to infiltrate the compound?"

"South gate has a weakness," Thompson said, "recon showed us that the guard switches at 2100, for about five minutes there isn't a guard that could pose a threat, we can enter through there..."

"Will we have sniper support?" she asked.

Thompson nodded, "We have a team on standby."

"Have them take out the guard," she said.

"Only if we're threatened," Joe said.

"Alright," she said.

"We ready to move in?" Kono asked.

"Yeah," everyone said.

"Okay, time to move out," Joe said.

Jo, Joe, Thompson, Chin, and Danny hopped into a truck and it took them off as the other teams got in to other trucks, she gripped the rifle they had given her, "Nervous?" Chin asked.

"You have no idea," she muttered, "I've never done this before... It would have forced the government to hide me away in some sort of prison..." she set her jaw.

Chin chuckled, "We'll be fine, Steve will be fine - we'll get him, get out, and go home."

She nodded, "God, I hope so."

The drive was half-an-hour long, they had to stop at a distance, "Alright, it's a ten-minute march from here," Thompson said as he handed out ear pieces, Jo slid hers under her hijab, "keep hidden, when we get in to the compound we'll be relying on you," Thompson told Jo.

She nodded, "Gotcha."

"Okay, let's move out, we're in contact with all of the other teams, keep the chatter down though."

'Roger' several people said through the ear pieces. Thompson lead the group as they sprinted as silently as they could, Jo and Danny brought up the rear of the group as they walked past low-hanging branches, sometimes Jo could swear she saw a monkey, after a long trek Thompson made them stop, he gestured for Jo to join him and Joe up front, she nodded and joined them, "We're at the south gate," Thompson informed her.

She saw tall black gates, "To what? Mordor?" she whispered.

Joe pointed to the top, there she saw men standing guard, they all wore camo and they had guns that looked like they raided an Al-Qaida armory.

"What do we know about their weapons?" Joe asked.

"Not much," Thompson said, "but there was a ship that had gone missing that was carrying military gear for the Indonesian army... The crew washed ashore on Sumatra - dead."

"Piracy too?" Chin asked, "Is their anything your cousin doesn't do Jo?"

She scowled, "That filthy little..." she snorted.

"Guard switch... Now," Thompson said, "we have five minutes to scale the gates."

"What about the cameras?" Danny asked.

"We have someone hacking in to their system -" he looked down at his watch and then the men left, "Go go go!" he said.

The group ran out, Thompson, Joe, and Chin had grappling hooks tied to rope, the three swung them and they managed to get them hooked to the gate, as quickly as they all could they scaled the gate, the moment the other guard came out Jo grabbed the hook and she swung it in the direction of one of the men, he let out a yell as he lost his balance and he fell off the wall.

"I guess he won't be bothering us any time soon," Joe said.

"Okay, we need to get going, we'll have to hit the security room first, if we can do that out people will have full access to the compound..." Jo said, "Chin we can post you at the security room, we'll have Kono join you."

"You're the boss," Chin said.

"Alright, let's get moving," she said.

They crouched down as they moved forward, Jo and Thompson led them through a doorway, she paused as she peered around a corner, "Clear," she whispered as they ran down it.

Quickly she thought of where they were in the building, they could hear from various teams confirming their entry.

"Where to now?" Chin asked.

"Follow me," she said and then suddenly they heard an alarm, "we've been compromised." she said suddenly.

"WHAT?" Danny yelled.

"Just come on, and be ready to protect yourselves..." Thompson said as he and Jo ran ahead, Joe and Chin brought up the rear of the group, everyone had their guns at the ready as they sprinted off.

* * *

Steve glared at Aziz who began to pace about, "You know what's funny?" Aziz said, "That my stupid cousin actually fell for it," he stated. Steve wanted to yell at him but the gag in his mouth prevented him from doing so. "I know what you're thinking," Aziz continued, "how can I be doing this to my own cousin, the person I grew up with, simple... Progress - self preservation... It is the easiest thing! I was able to have her father killed, and her father was almost like my own!" Aziz chuckled.

How the hell would anyone take pride in that? He supposed this man would, what Steve hated was that he could see a family semblance between Aziz and Jo - their eyes were shaped the same and he hated it.

"Thinking about her right now, aren't you?" he said, "thinking about how stupid you were to lead her here... Don't you?" he chuckled. Steve looked away from him, Aziz laughed, "Oh how rich! How perfectly cliche of you - but then what was I to expect? You're American."

Steve didn't even want to think what he meant about that, he kept his gaze down, he refused to give this man what he wanted.

"But you know, my cousin's always been that kind of idiotic, you know, she's probably all excited - planning how to rescue you and -" Aziz was cut off with the sound of the alarm blaring. "She's on her way -" he paused when someone walked in. "What is it?" he snapped. The man whispered something to him and Aziz angrily yelled at him, "WHAT?!"

"They act as if they have nothing to lose," he said.

"How many have they gunned down?" he asked.

He hesitated a bit.

"I SAID HOW MANY?!" Aziz yelled.

"So far twenty men," the man said.

Steve fought the urge to grin, "All from our men?" Aziz asked.

"Y-Yes," he said, "what do we do -"

"FIGHT BACK YOU IMBECILE!" he yelled.

All the teams had met up, people were everywhere, "Looks like there's been a change of plans," Joe said as they saw the enemy encroaching upon them, they were a band of mis-matched men, some looked grungy and dirty, others were impeccable and clean.

"How did this even happen?" Thompson asked.

Jo shook her head, "We took a wrong turn," she muttered.

"How can we take a wrong turn, you said you knew this place well!" Danny yelled at her.

"I know, it's my fault, you guys run - they want me -"

"Hell no," Kono said, "mistake or not - we've got to save Boss too," she looked at Jo.

Jo looked at the men, suddenly one of them ran right up to them, "Fall back!" she suddenly yelled, they all tried to run off but an explosion shook the ground and flesh and blood rained down on them as they were all knocked to their faces.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Danny yelled.

"They've developed it?" Sam yelled over to Jo.

"Looks like they have -" they opened fire suddenly they heard a loud call, the enemy ceased their fire and Jo looked to the source of the call.

Standing in an Armani suit, with his brown hair slicked back, and his gray eyes locked on her was her cousin.

"Aziz," she said calmly.

"Jumana, nice to see you again," he commented.

"Wish I could say the same," she said as she looked at her friends, they were all covered with blood and grime thanks to that human bomb.

"I see you finally found my home," he said, "I almost found you several times..."

"I know, you're people are sloppy," she said, "where is he?" she asked.

"Who, your boyfriend?" he asked.

"Hand him over and we'll leave," she said.

"I think not," he stated, "you know what, Jumana, for old time's sake, why don't you have dinner with me, you and your friends."

She looked at them before she looked at her cousin, "Fine," she said, "but first you let us see Steve."

He gave her a look, "All of you? I can allow one of you to see him," he said, "and I think I wouldn't want the others to see him - just you."

"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"You're on my turf, cuz, you play by my rules now."

She turned to look at the others and they all nodded, she turned to look at him, "Fine," she said.

"First you turn in your weapons, every single bit of it," he said.

Reluctantly they tossed their weapons down before they were led off. Jo was led first with her cousin, "I see you've developed the Human Bomb," she said conversationally.

"It took a while to perfect the formula," he stated, "but the effect is quite nice."

She nodded as she grabbed the handkerchief he offered and she wiped her face before she handed it to Kono, everyone watched the exchange with curious expressions, Joe was only grinning like he knew something big was coming.

They were led into a conference room but Jo was taken away from them, once the doors were shut Danny turned to Joe, "What the hell is going on?" he said.

"We knew the only way to get to Aziz was if we got caught," Joe said.

"You mean - you got us caught - and you got people blood on us - to get to Aziz?" Danny's tone was high-pitched, "and you didn't think to - uh - I don't know - tell us?"

"If we told you it would have ruined everything," Sam said.

"You were in on this?" Chin asked.

"We were," Joe said, "you are pretty much Civilian out here, knowing would have put you in danger."

"And Jo is -" Chin began.

"Jo's fine," Joe responded, "she's probably more fine than all of you are at the moment."

"You better have a good plan," Kono said before she sat down.

Jo walked into a room with her cousin, there she saw Steve chained to a chair, a gag covered his mouth and he looked exhausted, "What did you do to him?" she said as she ran over to him and she gently pulled the gag down.

"Jo," he said with a groan, "you shouldn't -"

"Shut up," she said quietly as she inspected his face. "What did he do to you?"

"Oh, you know, the usual," Aziz said, "he never talks though, when I mention you - he gets all grumpy and angry," he put his hands in his pockets, "this one's a keeper."

"Shut up," she said as she faced her cousin, "why are you doing this?"

"I could ask you the same question," he said.

"You killed my father," she said.

"You know, about that," he said as he sat down, "they never told you what really happened, did they?"

"What are you talking about? My father tried to stop you - he got in the way - you killed him - it was as simple as that."

He shook his head, "No it wasn't," he said simply, "it was never that simple - you have NO idea what our family has done - or how deep it got into it, do you?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" she said.

"How do you think I was able to build all of this so easily? Hm?" he questioned, "All of it - how the hell do you think I was able to easily play with the big boys?" he got up, "you have no idea - that you - and everyone in our pathetic family is rotten to the core -"

"No!" she yelled.

"Yes!" he yelled back, "Even you, Angelic little Jumana - you are evil in your core - God, you're just as evil as I am!" he laughed at her.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," she said.

"Please, as if I don't know about that tiny hidden gun down your shirt?" he said, "I'm not a fool," he crossed his legs as he leaned back in the chair, "going to kill your own cousin? Can you do it?"

"You took my father's life," she said.

"An eye for an eye will make the world go blind," he said in a singsong voice.

"Don't you paraphrase Gandhi," she said.

He smirked to this and he studied her, "What are you going to do, cousin?"

"I'm going to end this cartel," she said, "I'm going to kill you."

"Kill me," he said, "end this Cartel, but you will unleash something bigger."

"What could be bigger?" she asked.

"Have you been around him for so long that you failed to see what could possibly be bigger?" he leaned in his seat and he held his arms out, "Do it, cousin, and find out what it means to unleash something big upon the world, I have friends in very high places, do you wish to risk the lives of your pathetic little 'Ohana'?"

"I'm not going to kill you," she said as she reached down her shirt and she pulled out a wooden gun.

He stood up, "A toy?"

"You see, us storming in... Was just a cover," she grinned, "right now there are people out there - ready to arrest you and everyone that works with you..."

"Clever girl," he said with a sneer.

"I know," she said as she helped Steve up. "It's over for you Aziz, you're going to jail for a very - very long time..." That is when Thompson burst in and Aziz was on his feet, two other men joined him and they grabbed her cousin and dragged him out.

Thompson turned to Jo, "We need to get Steve out of here," she said.

He nodded and together they helped support him out as soldiers cleared out the compound, the group got on to a Helicopter to get out of there.


	20. Things that are Not Meant to Be

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or the places mentioned, all I do own are my OC's and Original plot.

Here we go guys, the last chapter of Do Good, keep an eye out for the sequel which might come out sooner than you think! I am aware last chapter was a bit abrupt and confusing, don't worry, I explained the confusing bits in this one, review and let me know what you think, and thank you all for your support and love!

* * *

It had started in the early hours of the morning, Sam, Jo, Joe, and Thompson sat in a tent while everyone slept, "It'll be a perfect tactical plan," Thompson said, "a Trojan Horse, or sort."

"Yeah," Jo agreed, "if we get caught, their attention will be so focused on us they won't even notice that there could be another force just sitting at their gates," she mused.

"Once we got in far enough, we'd prove to be a great distraction," Joe agreed.

"What do we have on Aziz?" Thompson asked.

"He's very full on himself," she responded, "the kind to get caught up with a triumph," she shrugged, "I think he would feel proud on getting us cornered... Plus, he thinks I'm stupid," she crossed her arms.

Joe chuckled, "That might work in our favor," he said, "but we can't tell the others."

"We'll have them worry about getting Steve out," Sam said, "it's our job to get the Cartel taken care of, I have a SEAL team on standby," he crossed his arms.

"We have a team on standby too," Thompson said, "the Badir Cartel has been a target to take down for a long time, this is the time for us to swoop in..."

"Basically the plan is get caught to get them caught," Jo said. Sam, Joe, and Thompson nodded, she shrugged, "I can do that."

The plan had been simple, get in, get caught, distract Aziz, get Aziz arrested, she had even taken a small wooden gun with her and she had hid it down her shirt simply so she could have the last laugh.

The plan had gone smoothly, Jo thought that maybe her friends were upset she did not let them in on it, but she supposed it didn't matter much, she wasn't staying in Hawaii very long anyways.

They had returned the very next day, her cousin was taken to a federal prison somewhere, she really didn't care - but what wouldn't leave her mind were his parting words, he had said that her father was involved with something deeper than she ever thought possible. Now that the Cartel was gone, she knew she had to go home and try to figure out what he meant.

She was drawn out of her thoughts when someone sat beside her, she looked up at Kono who looked at her, "Sam explained what happened," she said.

"Sorry I didn't tell you guys," she said.

She nodded, "Would have been nice to have a warning," she stated, "so what now? Your cousin is where he belongs, what's next?"

"I think I might go home," she said with a small smile.

"Home, here, or home - home...?" Kono asked.

"Home home," Jo said, "it's been a while since I saw my mother last," she let out a sigh, "I wonder what my siblings are up to now..."

Kono smiled softly, "We'll see you though, right?"

"Oh, of course," she said as she leaned back in the seat, "I'm going to travel a lot now - because I want to - you know? I don't have to hide anymore... That feels..." she let out a laugh, "that feels amazing!"

Chin joined them, "Jo, Steve's asking for you..."

"Is he okay?" she asked as she got up.

"Fit as a fiddle, they're just keeping him here over-night to make sure he really is okay," Chin smiled.

She grinned and she walked past him, Steve was sitting in the hospital bed and Danny was standing there, when she walked in Danny nodded to him and then he walked past her, he paused and pointed at her, "You - are insane," he said.

She grinned, "Thank you Danno," she said.

"That wasn't -" he threw his hands up, "You know what? I was right! Match made in hell!" he then walked off.

She put her hands in her pockets as she walked in to the room, "You were smart to call Joe," he said.

"I know," she said with a grin, "did they tell you..."

"About your idiotic plan? Yeah, couldn't have done it better myself," he said as she sat down on the chair by the bed.

"What hurts?" she asked.

"Fractured rib," he said, "nothing too bad."

She clasped her hands in her lap, "I'm sorry, if it wasn't for me you would have never been caught," she said.

"Shut up," he said, she looked up at him and she let out a sigh. "I heard what Aziz told you," he said, "what's your plan now?"

"I'm thinking of going home," she said, "back to Jordan... Try to figure out if he was telling the truth," she shrugged.

"You're just going to pack up and leave?" he asked.

"No," she said, "I'm going to move back in to my house - I think I've bothered you long enough, I might stay for a month and then leave... I'll be back in Hawaii every so often, you guys are family now - you don't walk away from family."

He grinned, "Good to know that's finally engraved in your brain."

She shrugged, "What about you?" she asked.

"I'm taking off to heal-up," he said as he shifted in his spot, "maybe I'll help you make that empty house a home."

She smiled softly, "I'd like that," she admitted.

"It's going to be weird to not have you around the house," he said.

"You'll live," she grinned.

"I'll probably live longer," he chuckled.

"We both know that's a lie."

He regarded her for a moment before he nodded in agreement.

As promised by the following day he was out of the hospital and Jo had begun to pack her things to move back in to the house. Steve was reluctant to help her but she had managed to get his help anyways.

The house, as expected, was horridly empty when she walked in, the furniture was covered with fabric, and everything was covered with a thick layer of dust, Steve put a box down and watched as she threw open some curtains showering the musty room with golden light, everything - he noted - would need to be cleaned.

"God, just thinking about all of the dusting I need to do," she said as she walked to the couch and she pulled off one of the covers, "and the vacuuming..." she shook her head.

"Do you have any plans for this place?" he asked.

She smiled as she looked over to him, "I want to fill it with memories," she said.

"I bet you will," he said.

She looked about her and she let out a sigh, "Let's just grab everything," she said.

"Yeah," he said.

Together they began the process of moving things back in to the house, Jo unpacked as he brought the things in, mostly they were clothes and whatever she had collected over the past months in New Zealand and Sam had sent over.

By the time night had fallen the house was pretty much in order, the pair sat outside admiring the view, "You're sure about leaving?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, but God am I going to miss this," she shook her head, "I'm booking a ticket tomorrow," she stated.

He nodded and she wished he would say something, she really didn't want to leave.

Suddenly they heard familiar voices, "Hey, are you guys going to join us or what?"

They turned in their seats to see Chin, Danny, Kono, and Grace; "How the hell did you get in here?" Jo asked as she got up.

"Easy, sistah, you left your door unlocked, not very smart," Kono said with a grin as Steve and Jo got up.

"What have you guys got?" she asked as they walked in to the house.

"Food," Chin said, "and beer for the grown-ups," he winked.

"My house - my rules!" she said.

"I was just kidding," Chin chuckled, "we got Pizza..."

"Danny let you?" she said as she looked through the bags they had brought in with them.

"If it were up to me, you'd be making the pizza," Danny said dryly.

She smirked, "Yeah, wouldn't you have liked that?"

"I'm not even going to argue," Danny said.

She grinned and they all pulled out the things so they could eat, as the night wore on Grace fell asleep curled up on the couch and they all just sat looking around the house, "So what now?" Kono asked her.

Chin hesitated a bit, "Kono told me you're leaving?" he said.

She let out a sigh, "Yeah, I have to leave," she said.

"What? Why?" Danny asked.

"It's complicated," she said, "but I think - if my cousin wasn't lying, that my family might be involved with something deeper than that Cartel..."

"Like what?" Chin asked.

"I don't know, I need to investigate my father's murder properly... I need to look in to the facts - I need to go back to where it all started for me..." she shrugged.

"When are you leaving?" Danny asked.

"In a month," she said, "I want to live here for a bit and enjoy it - really enjoy it - without having to look over my shoulder all the time, without having to worry I'll get compromised - I just want to have fun... And then I leave." she looked about her, "I want this place to be a home before I leave..."

They all grinned at her expression before they nodded.

Her first night in the house was strange, it was empty, and she found that she couldn't sleep. Her mind was racing with the recent events, her cousin, her father - and now leaving... She tossed and turned until eventually she fell into a dreamless sleep.

The following morning she sat in her kitchen, phone glued to her ear as she wrote notes on a notepad, she was dressed and already she wore a Hijab since she knew Steve would probably just barge in whenever he felt like it.

"And this flight sets out - when?" she questioned.

Steve walked in, as expected, with a bag in his hands, "Morning," he greeted.

She nodded her response before she turned her attention back to the notepad, "Okay, sounds great - I'll come by this afternoon to confirm - no - thank you," she ended the call, "and what have you?" she asked.

"Malasadas," he said.

"You're trying to fatten me up," she said as she got up to make coffee.

"Thought I'd bring something good on my way here," he stated, "who was that?"

"Oh, I just booked my ticket to Jordan," she said as she pulled down two mugs, "I leave in exactly a month from now."

He didn't look too happy about that, "You really want to leave?"

"You know I have to," she said, "how's your rib?"

He patted his side, "Better, you look like you didn't sleep well," he stated.

She shrugged, "I had a rough night," she explained as she poured them both coffee.

"Yeah, no kidding," he said.

"Anyways," she said as she grabbed the bag and she rummaged through it, "what brings you here so early?"

"Thought you'd want to see me, since you know - we lived together for so long," he smirked.

She paused as she made to bite into the baked sweet, "You're so full of it," she laughed.

"You miss me," he stated simply.

"And what makes you assume so?" she asked.

He shrugged, "I just know these kind of things, I know - I'm a heartbreaker..."

She shook her head before she bit into the sweet donut, "Whatever," she said.

"So, what are you up to today?" he asked.

"I need to go to get the ticket," she said, "and shop for gifts - it's been seven years since I went home last - or has it been eight now? I think it's been eight years now!"

"That's a lot of present buying," he said.

"Are you... Mocking me?" she said.

"Me? Mock you?" he grabbed a Malasada, "Impossible."

"Jerk," she muttered before she turned away.

"You know what?" he said, "Since I'm such a great guy - I'll drive you around."

She paused when he said this, "You're saying - you'll willingly join me on a shopping trip?" she asked.

"Why not?" he said.

"I don't know if you're awesome - or foolish," she said with a laugh.

"I'm considering both of those at the moment," he stated with a shrug, "so - what do you say?" he asked.

"You're on," she grinned. Once they scarfed down their breakfast she ran upstairs to change and grab what she needed before she met up with him again downstairs, he was hooking up her TV - a new one since the old one had been demolished when she was attacked. "You know, I should probably have you around here more," she said.

"Have a leaky faucet?" he asked as he sat on the couch and he grabbed the remote.

"Not yet," she said as she sat down to put her shoes on. "Sure saves me money on a handyman though..."

He looked at her, "I draw the line at walls," he deadpanned.

She laughed and shook her head, "All my walls are fine," she said, "should we get going?"

"Yeah," he said, "Where first?"

"Ala Moana?"

"You love Ala Moana," he said as he got up.

"I love Ala Moana," she grinned as they walked out of the house. "So are the team at HQ?" she asked.

"Gave them a day off," he said, "unless - you know - something happens..."

"Let's hope nothing happens," she said as they got into his truck.

"Yeah, I've had enough of things happening," he stated.

She chuckled and they both fell silent, he was silent and she didn't know what to say; she stared out the window and she watched the world go by.

"You look nice," he said suddenly as he broke the silence.

She flushed as she looked down at her, "I over-did it - didn't I?" she asked.

He laughed, "You didn't over-do it," he said.

She had chosen to wear a skirt that had a nice floral print with a plain shirt, and a white Hijab, on her feet she wore sandals. "Now it feels like I might have over-done it," she said.

"I just meant you look nice," he chuckled, "calm down..."

"Sorry," she said as she looked at him, "I'm still getting used to this..." she grinned, "this... Nothingness."

He glanced at her and smiled, "How does it feel?"

"Weird," she said.

"Now you can do normal things," he said, "like have friends, boyfriends..."

She laughed, "Boyfriends, right," she shook her head, "when I get home the first thing my mother might try to do is marry me off... Although I think according to her I might be past my prime."

"You? Never," he chuckled.

"Yeah well, Arab moms," she said with a grin, "can't live with them - can't live without them..."

When they arrived at the shopping center they both got out of the truck, together they walked in the sun into the open-air mall, one of Jo's favorite places.

She honestly didn't know what to get her family, she thought of little trinkets that were all about Hawaii, 'But not in a touristy way' she would convince herself.

Steve seemed to notice her distress, "Don't know what to get them, huh?" he said with a chuckle.

"You find this funny?" she demanded.

"Your confused expression is cute," she gave him a dry stare, "no really, it is."

"Why don't you come up with a good gifting idea?" she said.

"Why aren't you looking in the smaller places?" he asked.

"Smaller... Places...?" she asked.

"The local shops, you know, the booths..." he suggested.

She frowned, "I didn't notice them," she stated.

"Because you're running around," he said, "honestly, women -" he grabbed her hand and he pulled her away from the doors leading in to a Macy's.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

He chuckled and continued to pull her along. She found that when Steve decided to take the lead her trip was much more successful then if she had decided to do everything on her own, she had to admit he even had a good eye for bargains and what to get.

As they walked to the travel agency Jo shuffled the bags in her hands, "How do you manage to have such a good eye?" she asked.

He shrugged, "Kind of happens when you travel a lot," he stated.

"You mean you had time to shop when you were working with the SEALS?" she asked.

He chuckled, "No, but you know - you just learn."

She shook her head as they stepped in to the cool office, there was a woman sitting behind a desk, she looked up, "Aloha! How can I help you two? Booking a ticket for a nice romantic getaway perhaps?" she asked.

Steve awkwardly coughed and Jo blushed, "Er, no, I'm Jumana Abdelfattah - I spoke to you on the phone earlier this morning," she stated.

"Oh!" she said, "Right, sorry," she coughed awkwardly, "sorry - it's kind of my first week on the job, I tend to get a bit enthusiastic, you know, and I saw you two walk in... I assumed..."

"Well, you know what they say!" Jumana said, "What assuming does to you and me..."

The woman blushed, "Right, anyways -" she began to type, "here's your ticket," she said as she handed her a folder, "seating information and everything you need it in the folder."

"Thank you so much," she said as she whipped out her credit card.

The woman grabbed the card and she slid it through the machine before she handed a slip of paper to Jo to sign. "And that is it," the woman said.

"Thank you," Jo said a final time before she slipped the folder into her bag, "have a nice day."

"You too!" she said with a bright smile.

Jo chuckled and shook her head as the pair made their way out of the office.

"Romantic getaway," he smirked.

"Shut up," she said with a blush.

He chuckled and grabbed her bags, "While we're out want to eat? I'm starved," he stated.

She shrugged, "We're out anyways," she said, "where do you suggest?"

He chuckled and then they heard a familiar voice, "Hey you two!" they turned to see Danny and Grace.

"Hey!" Jo said as Grace ran to hug her.

"Two days in a row?" Steve asked.

"Rachel and Stan are out of town," Danny explained.

"Ah," Steve said as he looked at Jo who pulled out a string of freshwater pearls she had bought from a vendor and she put it around Grace's neck, the 11 year-old smiled and thanked the woman with a hug.

"Am I ruining a date?" Danny asked slyly.

Steve did not look amused, "Real cute, Danno," he said dryly.

"No, I'm serious," Danny said.

Jo and Grace joined them, Grace was beaming, "Danno, look at what Jo gave me!" she showed him the necklace.

"That's beautiful, did you thank her, Monkey?" he said.

"Yeah!" she said brightly.

Danny turned to Jo, "Really, it's beautiful," he said.

She grinned, "I bought a bunch of them to take to my mom and sister, and I thought Grace might like one."

"Well, I think you're her new favorite person, that's how much she loves it," Danny chuckled.

Jo grinned and then she looked at Steve, "You know we were about to go eat, why don't you two join us?"

Steve was about to complain but Danny's smirk shut him up, instead he grinned, "Yeah, Danno, why don't you join us?"

"We - actually - have some place to be," Danny said, "but we'll see you later at the house, right?"

"Of course," she grinned.

"See you later then," Danny said, "have fun you two."

They waved and watched as Danny and Grace walked away she grinned, "I think I'm going to miss them a lot," she said.

"What? And you're not going to miss me?" he asked.

She laughed, "No," she said.

His expression fell, she shrugged, "I expect you to find me." He gave her a look as she walked off, "Come on!" she called out.

That evening when they walked in to the house their bags had only multiplied, "That's what every woman needs," she stated.

"What?" he asked as he put the bags down.

"A sturdy SEAL to carry her bags for her," she laughed.

"Clever," he said as he watched her kick her shoes off.

"Coffee - or tea?" she asked.

"Right now, a glass of water," he said as he followed her in to the kitchen.

She pulled down a glass cup and she filled it with water for him, he took it from her and thanked her before she left him to go put the bags away upstairs. He leaned against the counter as he stared about the kitchen, this morning's dishes were in a wire dish-rack, the trash needed to be taken out so he put the glass down and he did just that, when he walked in again she was pulling something out of the fridge.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Cake," she said, "thanks for taking out the trash."

"No problem," he said with a grin, "when did you make a cake?" he asked.

"I was up pretty early," she admitted.

He shook his head and smiled, it wasn't long before everyone had joined them and once more the house was full of people.

Jo knew this is what she was going to miss the most, all of these people around her - her Ohana - the family she chose.

As the month wore on the house began to slowly fill out with pictures of everyone, there seemed to be a calm when it came to cases, she didn't know if it was a calm before a storm - or it was because of the Cartel, all she knew was that her final month in Hawaii was a calm one.

It was her final night there, she was busy packing and making sure everything was ready, she heard a soft knocking on her door, she turned to see Kono standing there, "Hey," she said.

"Hey, need help?" Kono offered.

"Nah, I'm good," she said, "in fact I'm done..."

"You know, we were thinking of going out - all of us," she said, "kind of like - our last night together... You know?"

"Yeah," Jo said, "where?"

"The Hilton," Kono said with a grin.

"Okay, I guess I'll just get changed, yeah?" she said.

Kono chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, you probably should."

Jo had changed into a dress and cardigan as well as a new Hijab, it was all very nostalgic for her, she even moved sluggishly as she tried to ready herself.

They all sat about a table, even Kamekona was there, and they were all laughing at something or another, Jo just watched them all with a small smile, they seemed to notice this and they all fell silent, she let out a sigh, "I'm sorry guys, I'm having fun, really," she said, "I'm just feeling really sentimental right now, that's all... Don't mind me, have fun..."

"You know we won't until you're laughing too," Kono said.

Jo shrugged, "I know, I'm just..."

"Hey, why don't we go do something fun," Chin said and then he looked at Kono who's face lit up with a bright grin.

"What?" Jo asked.

"Ever surfed at night?" Kono asked.

"What?" Danny said, "no way - uh - there is no way we're going -"

"Come on, full moon's out - perfect for a nighttime surf brah!" Kono said.

"Let's ditch this place," Chin agreed.

A grin touched Jo's face, "You know, I won't have time for a last surf, now's perfect..."

They all got up excitedly and left the resort, each person went to their place to grab what they needed, exactly an hour later they met up at the beach, the street lamps from the street gave them some light, and the moon gave them more light, "Perfect conditions," Kono said with a grin.

Jo grinned, she had to agree, she had never been night surfing, she was glad she got the chance to before she left.

That morning she was up early, her house was full of her friends that had decided to crash at her house, Grace slept in one of the guest rooms and she felt the pleasant soreness in her muscles from the surfing, she got up and stumbled into the shower to wash out the sand and salt from the previous night, she then pulled on a pair of jeans and a Henley before she put a Hijab on and she made her way downstairs, Kono greeted her with a grin, "Morning," she said, her hair stuck out in every direction.

"Good morning," Jo responded, "Sleep well?"

"Yeah," she said, "your guest beds are really comfy."

Jo laughed, "I know," she said with a chuckle.

They walked into the living room and saw Chin, Steve, and Danny thrown about the room, Danny was still fast asleep and snoring while Chin was flat on his stomach, it was Steve that sat up upon their entrance, "Morning," Jo greeted.

"Morning," he said in response, "when do you need to get going?" he asked.

"Now," she said, suddenly he was on his feet and waking everyone up, she watched as they suddenly sprung into a groggy frenzy as they tried to get her things into Steve's truck, and then came her least favorite part - the goodbyes, one by one she hugged her friends and thanked them and told them how much she loved them, how much she would miss them, and then she promised them that she would be in touch and that she might see them soon...

Typical promises that often felt hollow to her, she was almost happy to be out of the house after she told Kono to check in on the house every so often and that Danny could stay there with Grace whenever he needed a place to stay.

Before long it was just her and Steve as he drove, he had been silent through the whole ordeal, he even silently ushered her to his truck where her luggage was waiting, he was silent - and she felt sick. This time she would be going to the Honolulu International Airport, a nice change for once.

When they were at the airport he stopped the car and they just sat there watching airplanes take off and land, "The last time we said good-bye, I was being forced away," she said as she finally broke the silence.

"Yeah," he said, "don't remind me..."

She looked down at her lap, she wanted a reason to stay, a part of her was tired - she wanted a nice life, she didn't want to worry about big things, she wanted a quiet life to worry about quiet things; she was tired of relying on herself... For once she needed someone to tell her to settle down.

"I'm not going to tell you to stay," he said, "if that's what you're expecting..."

She tried to keep the disappointment off her face, "Oh," she said.

"This is something you need to do - just like I need to figure out how my mom is involved in all of this," he added.

She shrugged and then she stared out the window, "Yeah, I suppose," she said.

"Jo," he said.

"Just - let's get going," she said as she opened the door and she got out.

He got out and they grabbed her things before they put it on a cart, she grabbed her backpack and she walked beside him as he pushed it into the departures. Because Steve had military clearance he was able to go with her every step of the way, even though she didn't ask him to he followed her and about half an hour later they sat in the lounge waiting for the plain to be boarded.

"You didn't have to come all this way for me," she said as she stared at the planes outside.

"I wanted to," he said.

She nodded and crossed her legs, "Right," she said quietly.

"Jo," he said quietly.

"Don't you want me to stay?" she asked.

"Of course I want you to stay," he said, "but I can't be that person that stops you from doing the thing that you want."

"What if what I want is to stay here and have a nice and quite life for once?" she demanded.

"Because you've always tried to do good, as long as you stayed here you'll always think about what your cousin told you, you will always think about your father, and you'll always think about that secret -"

"Just like you always think about your father and Wo Fat?"

"This is not the same thing," he said.

"Of course it is," she said as she got up, "it's exactly the same thing."

"Jo," he said as he got up as well, "why are you so..."

"What?" she said.

"Why are you so upset I'm not telling you to stay?" he questioned.

"Just forget it, okay?" she said as she went back to her seat. He watched her before he sat back down again, she refused to look at him - if anything she was angry with herself, words and sentiments were easy things to exchange - so why couldn't she tell him three words that she'd seen people toss about so easily.

Her heart hammered against her chest and she could almost feel her blood rushing through her veins - it felt like it made her whole body pulse and in a way - it hurt.

"Jo," Steve said quietly.

"What?" she asked.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head, "Nothing's wrong..."

"You're shaking," he said as he grabbed her hand and she saw she was trembling.

"I'm fine," she said as she pulled her hand away. A voice over the PA system told her her flight was boarding, she got up and grabbed her backpack as she grabbed her boarding pass, "This is it," she said with a sigh.

"Yeah," he said as they stared at each other for a long moment, "take care of yourself," he said.

"Try to find me from time to time?" she asked.

He nodded and then he pulled her in to a hug, it hurt her deeply as she buried her face in his chest, all the things she wanted to tell him - everything she couldn't say - how could she tell him as she made to get on to a plane and leave. She found herself crying, "Sorry," she said with a weepy grin as she pushed herself away from him.

"Hey," he said as he made her look up at him, "take care of yourself, okay?"

She nodded, "You two, don't cut me off just because I'm going away, got it?"

"Look who's talking," he said with a smirk.

"Shut up," she said gently.

"I'm going to miss you too," he said.

"... Same here," she said as she stared down at her pass, "look, Steve, I'm not good with -"

"Don't," he said, "not when you're going away."

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm sorry..." she saw people filing out the gate, "Guess I should get going too..." she said.

He nodded and watched as she walked off, she handed her pass to the woman who nodded and welcomed her aboard the flight, she took a last glance at Steve and wished that she had said it sooner, but she supposed some things weren't meant to happen - telling Steve McGarrett that she loved him was probably one of those things that were never meant to happen.

But she knew that everything happened for a reason, even as she boarded the plane and she was seated by a woman that kept complaining the miles were not so bad because eventually the nostalgia gave way to sick anticipation, soon she was to see her family - what was left of it, and in a way she supposed that with ever bitter goodbye there was a hello... She knew she was going to see him again someday - for now she had other things to worry about, she supposed Steve would have to wait.


End file.
